Adam could feel Mikael’s pleasure at his words. It gave him a warm feeling that he pleased his boss, but he really wasn’t sure why Mikael would think he would propose otherwise. Adam had accepted Mikael and his coworkers as family since day one. Being turned into a vampire didn’t change how he felt toward them at all. If anything, he felt even closer to his chosen family now that he was no longer human.
“That is the question.” Mikael frowned. “We haven’t had any issues with Hunters since we moved here and opened the club three years ago. The absence of Hunters in Chicago was why I picked this city.”
“That doesn’t mean they haven’t moved in since,” George pointed out.
“No, it doesn’t,” Mikael agreed. “However, like I said, I don’t believe these attacks are the work of Hunters.”
“Well, either way, if we just take out whoever the hell is targeting you it will solve the problem,” Adam declared.
“So bloodthirsty.” George laughed and gave Adam a wink. “Until they try again, regardless of who they are, we can’t really do anything.”
“Agreed.” Mikael looked at both his employees before his gaze settled on George. “Call a meeting before we open tonight. Everyone needs to be updated on Adam and warned to be on guard not just at the club but everywhere, on the off chance Hunters might be involved after all.”
“What now?” Adam looked between the two men seated across from him after George nodded.
“Now, George is going to take you home to collect some more clothes.” Mikael ignored Adam’s raised brow. “I want you to stay here until you adjust to your new speed and strength. Plus,” Mikael held up a finger to halt what he was sure was going to be a protest on Adam’s part. “You will need to eat and learn to feed along with other things about our kind.”
Adam really had no argument to offer his boss, so he just looked at George and stood when the man did. He followed George out of Mikael’s apartment and tried to ignore the sensation of concern he felt from Mikael through their link.
~~~
The ride to his apartment was a short one, but that didn’t stop Adam from peppering George with questions about being a shifter. A garoul is what George claimed his kind were called, Adam reminded himself. However, George informed him that he wasn’t offended by the term shifter even though some garouls didn’t appreciate the term.
Adam’s new heightened sense of hearing was slightly distracting while they walked up the flight of stairs to his apartment. He could hear his neighbors, those who were home, moving around in their apartments and had to consciously block out the sounds.
“How long do you think I will be staying with Mikael?” Adam inquired as he unlocked his door.
“A week, maybe two if you are a slow learner.”
Adam glanced over his shoulder as he stepped into his apartment and was greeted by George grinning at him. It was nice seeing this lighter side of the man and Adam was sure George’s stoicism toward him had disappeared because Adam was now part of the man’s world.
“Make yourself at home,” Adam offered. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Thanks.” George moved toward Adam’s couch as Adam headed to his bedroom.
Adam pushed open his partially closed bedroom door and had barely stepped into the room when the attack happened. A sharp pain sheared into his shoulder. A stake, a fucking wooden stake was sticking up from his flesh behind his left shoulder. Adam cried out from a mixture of surprise and pain. He was sure if his assailant had been more patient, the stake would have hit its mark through his back and into his chest.
He spun rapidly and shoved the man who just tried to kill him. The impact to the fucker’s chest sent the guy flying through his bedroom door. Before the asshole even hit the floor, Adam caught sight of George. One second, he was looking at his security boss and the next, the air around George shimmered like a heatwave over asphalt and a large black bear stood where George had been.
The roar that filled Adam’s small apartment almost shattered his windows and nearly burst Adam’s eardrums because of his new enhanced hearing. However, George’s large bear appearance and loud roar weren’t what Adam’s attention focused on. No, he focused on the man who seemed to step out of the shadows behind George.
“No!” Adam shouted and in the blink of an eye stood between George and the man who was about to shoot him.
Adam grabbed the second intruder in his apartment by the throat with one hand and locked his other around the guy’s wrist that held a gun. The sudden flash of fangs and the hiss the asshole spat out into Adam’s face made him pause. The last thing Adam expected was for the assailant to be another vampire. His pause was his undoing.
Adam was tossed unceremoniously across his living room as if his grasp on the man meant nothing. He grunted when his body connected horizontally with his wall, but the impact did not stun him. He regained his feet and was moving back toward the man just as the fucker raised his gun and fired at George.
George roared again and this time Adam knew it was in pain. The sound of the gunshot was only heard a second before George roared and Adam knew his friend had been shot. Anger unlike any Adam had ever known consumed him. Any thoughts Adam had of restraining the vampire who stood in his living room disappeared at the sound of George in pain.
Adam tackled the vampire and they both crashed onto his coffee table. The table was no match for their combined weight and Adam gave no thought to the flimsy piece of furniture shattering beneath them.
The resounding crack of bones barely registered in Adam’s mind when he wrenched the vampire’s arm that held the gun. The scream that tore out of the vampire’s throat did.
Another roar reached Adam’s ears, but he was too focused on the vampire beneath him to chance a glance at George and determine the cause of his distress. His own scream joined the sounds of combat in his apartment when the vampire beneath him managed to shove the stake in his shoulder deeper. The sudden intensity of increased pain sent Adam into a frenzy.
His hiss barely registered in his ears before his mouth closed around the side of the vampire’s neck. Adam’s fangs sunk deep and his jaw locked before he shook his head like a rabid dog. When he finally pulled back, half of the vampire’s neck was torn away. In the back of Adam’s mind he realized tearing out the vampire’s throat wouldn’t kill him, but that was okay. The damage he wrought would be enough to incapacitate the fucker. Adam shoved off the injured vampire beneath him and turned toward George.
His friend had the asshole who tried to stake him backed into a corner. Adam could see George bleeding. George’s black fur along his side glistened and just the sight infuriated Adam more. Once more, in barely the blink of an eye, Adam was in front of the attacker. He hissed in the man’s face and was more than satisfied by the pure terror displayed in the fucker’s eyes.
“Please,” the guy began to beg.
Adam didn’t want to hear it. He hissed again and the stench of piss filled the small space between them. Adam raised his hand and wrapped it around the guy’s throat.
“Give me one reason not to kill you,” Adam growled out around his fangs.
“Please.”
“That’s not a reason,” Adam spat out in the asshole’s face.
He closed his hand and there was barely any sound when he crushed the man’s throat. Of course, the gurgling from the downed vampire drowned out almost everything but his and George’s heavy breathing. Adam turned back to the downed vampire just as his front door flew off the hinges.
Mikael stood framed by the splintered wood as if he were a Nordic God who was about to rain down fire and brimstone. He’s stunning in his fury, Adam thought at the sight of his boss.
Mikael had just finished getting dressed after a shower when he was assaulted by Adam’s pain and rage. He immediately knew something was wrong. Upon tearing into Adam’s apartment, he was at once relieved and infuriated at the same time by what he saw. A body was crumpled to the floor behind Adam and it was clear the ma
n wouldn’t be getting up again. His throat was obscenely crushed to the point that his head was at an awkward angle. Mikael dismissed the body.
Instead, his eyes locked onto Adam who stood in the center of the living room. A stake, a fucking three inch round stake, was sticking up behind Adam’s left shoulder. Just seeing the piece of wood that could have easily killed his new lover caused Mikael to hiss angrily. Adam’s mouth was covered in blood and this prompted Mikael to shift his attention to the gurgling man slumped against the other wall. Mikael moved and was standing over the vampire. He hissed angrily again and pulled the vampire up by his bloody shirt.
A growl and movement in the corner of his eye caused Mikael to pause. George was standing at his side and Adam witnessed the heat wave like blur surround the man again before he was back in his human form.
“Mikael, we need him alive,” George gently reminded in a pained voice.
Mikael looked at his head of security and his rage spiked again. George was clutching his side that was covered in blood. He could also see Adam standing behind George, the stake moving up and down with every breath he took. Mikael growled out another hiss and slammed the other life drinker against the wall before he let him go.
Mikael turned toward George and Adam. It was obvious to Adam that Mikael had to force himself to not only leave the other vampire alive, but also to step away. Mikael took several deep breaths before he approached Adam.
“Turn around,” Mikael ordered so he could inspect where the stake entered Adam.
“See to George,” Adam countered. “He’s been shot.”
“I’ll be fine, Adam,” George reassured.
Adam glanced at George doubtfully. However, George just grinned and pulled out his cell phone. He stood over the wounded vampire and made a call just as Adam heard the first sirens in the distance. Adam continued to watch George as Mikael moved around behind him. George never stopped talking on the phone when he bent and hefted the vampire over his shoulder. He took the vampire who was no longer gurgling, down the hall toward Adam’s bedroom.
“Brace yourself,” Mikael warned and swiftly pulled the stake from Adam’s shoulder before Adam could even reply or tense.
“Shit!” Adam glared at Mikael over his shoulder.
Mikael walked around Adam and stared into his green eyes. Adam wasn’t sure what he was searching for. Perhaps, Mikael just wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to freak out. He must’ve found what he was looking for because he finally gave Adam a nod.
“You need to get cleaned up.” Mikael nodded toward Adam’s bathroom. “Lawrence will be here shortly.”
Mikael mentioning the need to shower reminded Adam of the sensation of wetness around his mouth, chin, and along his neck. He wiped his face on his arm and purposely didn’t look at the smear of blood he’d left behind on his bicep.
“Drink from George. It will help you heal faster,” Mikael ordered quietly.
“He’s been shot and already lost enough blood.”
“He can drink from me,” Lawrence offered from the doorway. “But we must do this quickly. They are almost here.”
The sirens were louder. Adam understood that once the police arrived Lawrence would be busy manipulating their minds to cover up what really transpired in his apartment. He glanced at Mikael who gave him a slight nod when Lawrence extended his bare wrist. Adam hesitated while he cupped Lawrence’s wrist in his hand as if he might crush the bones just by holding them.
“Go on,” Lawrence gently prompted and moved his wrist in encouragement.
Adam lifted Lawrence’s wrist and sank his fangs in deeply. This wasn’t how Mikael wanted Adam’s first experience feeding from another supernatural or human to occur and he hadn’t been sure Adam actually would. Mikael breathed a silent sigh of relief when he did.
The burst of flavor on Adam’s tongue was nothing like Mikael’s addicting taste. It wasn’t bad. Just different from the deliciousness of Mikael’s blood. However, taste aside, the jolt of power that flooded his system was a thousand times stronger when compared to Mikael.
Adam could feel the damaged flesh in his back near his shoulder blade begin to knit. It was an itching sensation and it wasn’t until he no longer had the urge to scratch his back that he stopped drinking from Lawrence. It was just in time, as well, since the sounds of pounding footsteps coming up the apartment building stairs announced the arrival of the police.
“Go,” Lawrence ordered both Mikael and Adam with a nod toward Adam’s bedroom.
Neither man hesitated and with speed only their kind possessed, disappeared from the living room just as the first cop reached the ruined apartment door.
“Hands in the air!” The cop yelled.
“I am not a threat.” Adam heard Lawrence reply.
At the sight of George in his bedroom, Adam tuned out Lawrence dealing with the police in his living room. George had removed his shirt and had wiped down his side. Blood smeared his pale skin, but only a small hole still bled to indicate where he was shot.
“Thank God you are okay,” Adam said to George after he sat down heavily on his bed.
“It will take more than a bullet to kill me.” George grinned.
Adam shook his head. “You really are a bear, huh?”
“I am.” George gave him a wink.
Again, Adam shook his head. His world had been turned upside down and inside out over the last twelve hours. Everything Adam had learned was surreal and he should be freaking out, but he wasn’t. Perhaps he would be if he weren’t such a fan of paranormal novels. That had to be the reason.
Adam shook his head again to dismiss the thoughts from his mind and looked at the corpse-like vampire that was splayed in the corner of his bedroom. The vampire really did look dead. He was no longer bleeding profusely from his neck, but Adam knew he really wasn’t dead.
“So what now? He’s obviously one of the Hunters you told me about.” Adam nodded toward the vampire.
“Now we will get some answers once Lawrence finishes with the police,” Mikael informed and Adam just nodded his agreement.
***
Chapter Sixteen
An hour later, they all were in Adam’s living room. George had called the rest of the family to join them. It would be easier to have them all present at the same time than to fill them in later. The Hunters’ vampire lay against the wall where George dropped him. He looked as if he were going to pass out at any moment.
“You should’ve kept the other one alive, boss.” Travis handed three bags of blood to Mikael.
“This wasn’t my doing,” Mikael informed his longtime friend who raised a brow at Adam.
Adam shrugged. “He’s lucky he’s alive at all as far as I’m concerned.”
Travis snorted. “Useless to us unless he talks, though.”
“It’s my fault Adam didn’t know any better.” Mikael ripped a bag of blood open with his teeth.
“Didn’t know what?” Adam was confused.
“Lawrence can’t read our kind,” Randy spat out with obvious disgust for Adam’s lack of knowledge.
“Randy,” Mikael warned even if he was surprised Randy was antagonizing Adam again after what had happened that morning. Hell, Mikael was surprised Randy was even present, all things considered.
Adam ignored Randy and looked at Lawrence. The mindbender seemed focused on Chris who looked decidedly pale. Adam was sure he’d be pale too if he hadn’t been the one to rip half of the Hunter’s throat out. A glance at Rita showed she was holding up better than her human counterpart. She looked pissed off at the whole situation which was likely why she wasn’t in the same state as Chris. The sound of liquid being poured pulled Adam’s attention back to Mikael and the vampire Hunter.
Mikael poured almost the entire bag of blood onto the gaping throat wound. There was no sense allowing him to drink if the blood would just run out of the side of the Hunter’s neck. It made perfect sense to heal him. Still, Adam was amazed at the sight of the vampire’s flesh refor
ming to heal the damage he’d inflicted. The entire process took less than fifteen minutes during which no one said a word.
The Hunter looked more aware and Mikael handed him another bag of blood. He took it and didn’t hesitate to drink. The blood would fully restore the Hunter, but Mikael wasn’t concerned he might attempt to attack any of them. That would be suicidal and the desire to live was plain in his brown eyed gaze.
“What is your name?” Mikael asked and the Hunter looked away. “You might as well tell us.”
“It’s Robert,” Lawrence informed the room.
Every head including the Hunter’s looked at the mindbender. There was no way Lawrence could have pulled the Hunter’s name from his head. That could only mean he had pulled it from another of The Witch’s Brew employees.
George stepped toward the bedroom door, which Lawrence currently almost blocked, so he could prevent the traitor in their midst from escaping. Rita and Chris were also moving to flank George. Mikael wasn’t surprised his security employees worked in sync. They had all worked together for two years, after all.
All eyes in the small bedroom, except for Mikael’s, Adam’s, and Lawrence’s shifted to Roni. She met their scrutiny, but said nothing. She may have been the newest family member prior to Adam at The Witch’s Brew, but she had nothing to hide from the mindbender.
From the corner of his eye Adam watched Lawrence shift his gaze to Mikael, but kept his own attention fully focused on the humans who were edging closer to his bedroom door.
“Who?” Mikael asked Lawrence and Chris moved.
Adam and Rita moved at the same time. Not only moved, but collided when they tried to fill the doorway. However, blocking Chris’ escape wasn’t required because the human they had trusted as a family member froze in place.
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