“You’re bleeding,” Zeke observed thickly as he gazed up.
Ethan brought a hand to his chin and realized he’d bit himself a lot harder than he’d thought. Blood was trickling down his chin a steady rate.
“Come here,” Zeke commanded as he pulled Ethan’s head down. Darting his tongue out, he made slow passes with his tongue over Ethan’s bottom lip, licking up the blood and sealing the wounds shut.
“Thank you,” Ethan said as he pulled back.
“Trust me. The pleasure was all mine.” Zeke smiled. His fangs were still long and ready and it made him look all the more wicked.
“Are you sure?” Ethan asked with a frown. “You didn’t exactly get anything out of it. If you want, you can feed from me. I don’t mind and I’m feeling much better so I don’t think it will hurt anything.”
“I’m fine.” Zeke reached up to caress his face. “Why don’t you go take a shower before everyone wakes up?”
“Do I stink?” Ethan was horrified at the thought, but given the conditions he was in previously, it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch.
“No, you smell perfect. I just thought a hot shower would feel good. I tried to clean you up as much as I could, but it wasn’t the real thing and I’m sure there’s probably still some blood and stuff in your hair.”
“You washed me?” Ethan stammered, shocked. He’d just assumed Dahlia or someone from her staff had done that.
“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t want to wake up in that condition. Plus, I wanted you to be comfortable.”
“Did you wash my whole body, like my chest and back?” He fought to sound casual even though his heart was pounding with fear of what Zeke might have seen, of how Ethan’s darkest secret could have been uncovered.
“No, since everyone and their grandmother insisted on coming along and watching over you, I couldn’t get that thorough. I still tried though because I wanted you to be comfortable.”
“You took care of me.” A strange mix of emotions went through Ethan as he thought about that. Nobody had ever looked after him when he’d been sick. Even when he was a small child, Olivia had left him to fend for himself.
“Of course I did. I’m your sire. It’s my job,” Zeke responded, but there was no missing the tenderness in his eyes.
Chapter Five
Zeke had been right about one thing. The hot shower had felt like heaven. Ethan stood under the spray so long his fingers pruned up as he washed away the last remnants of captivity. The sweet taste of Zeke’s blood still lingered on his lips and Ethan ran his tongue out to savor it as he grabbed his homemade herbal shampoo and lathered up. He knew he truly wouldn’t feel clean until he had the stench of that hellhole off him and the familiar scent of his cleaning products soothed him.
He couldn’t stop touching his teeth with his tongue. Even after going all fang on Zeke, it was still hard to believe that he was a vampire now. And not a warlock. He wanted to scream in outrage over the loss of who he was, instead he leaned his head onto the shower stall and fought back tears.
Even if he had wanted to go back to his coven, there was no way they’d take him now. He’d be lucky if Olivia didn’t offer a price on his head to get rid of her newest embarrassment. It wasn’t that he disliked vampires. In the time he’d been with the clan, he’d come to respect and like them. But he wasn’t going to fool himself into thinking that other magics were going to be so forgiving. A pounding on the door brought him out of his musings.
“Are you okay in there?” Rafe called through the wood.
“Yeah, I’m just finishing up.” Ethan turned off the water and grabbed a towel.
“Okay, I didn’t mean to hover. I was worried that you might still be weak and fell or something.”
“Nah, I’m fine.” He started drying off, wincing whenever the towel would hit a tender area of his body. Vampires were supposed to be fast healers, but he sure wasn’t seeing it. Maybe it was because he was so fucked up when Zeke had turned him.
“Are you hungry?” Rafe asked.
“Don’t worry about me. I got some food stashed in my room.” Since the numerous poisonings while living with the Nine, Ethan didn’t trust anything he didn’t make himself.
He dressed in his favorite ratty workout pants and faded blue sweatshirt since he wasn’t planning on going anywhere. It was a good bet that he was the talk of the clan right now and the last thing he felt like doing was going out so he could be the train wreck that nobody could look away from. A large mirror hung over the sink and he’d been avoiding looking in it, not sure he was ready for what would meet him.
Then he realized that it was stupid to put off the inevitable. It’s not like he could walk away from this. Still he hedged, taking only two small steps before he froze. In his time as a soldier for the coven, he’d come across a lot of scary things, empusa, werewolves, poltergeists and even a zombie or two. None of them terrified him as much as that damn mirror. It felt like, that as soon as he saw the new image of him, it would bring it all back home.
“Come on,” he whispered, giving himself a pep talk. “When you drank Zeke’s blood that should have slapped you with the truth of who you are. It’s just a goddamn mirror, get a grip and stop being such a nancy.”
“Hey, are you sure everything’s okay?” Rafe called again.
Ethan took a deep breath and forced himself to admit, “No. Can you come in here a sec?”
Rafe opened the door and stepped in. “What’s wrong?”
His face, lined with such genuine concern, made Ethan feel better about reaching out to him. “What do I look like?” Ethan darted a furtive glance at his brother before ducking his head.
“Do you want me to be honest?” Rafe had just the hint of a smile.
“Yeah.”
“You look like you’ve spent the better part of a few days under a group of Pure Born’s boots.” Suddenly getting serious, he held out one hand. “Come on over to the mirror and you can see for yourself.”
Ethan took one step forward before he stalled again. “I’ll just take your word for it.”
“Come on.” Rafe kept his hand out. “You can do this. If you want, I’ll stay with you while you look.”
The bathroom wasn’t that large so all Ethan had to do was reach out and their hands were touching. It dawned on him that it was the first time he and Rafe had touched each other without there being hostility on at least one side. Rafe tugged, forcing Ethan to take those final steps to the mirror. “Thanks for coming to get me,” Ethan said, keeping his gaze directed at the sink.
“That’s what brothers do for each other. Stop thanking me before I have to kick your ass. I would hate to have to mess up that pretty boy mug of yours anymore. Now, stop stalling and look at yourself.” They were still holding hands and Rafe gave him an encouraging squeeze.
Ethan slowly raised his head and for the first time since he’d been held captive, saw his reflection. His jaw was still swollen on one side and deep purple bruises rimmed both eyes. The bite marks on his bottom lip were visible, but they were faint, thanks to Zeke licking them. “I look like shit,” he breathed as he tilted his head from side to side to see the vicious bite marks the Pure Borns had left behind. “I thought that any wounds you had were supposed to heal during the transformation.”
“I asked Dahlia the same thing and she said it was because you were so badly injured, it’s going to take you a while to heal, no matter what form you’re in. Believe me, this is a huge improvement from what you looked like when we first dragged you out of there.”
“Yeah, they were ticked when they found out I wasn’t Brenden and then when I wouldn’t tell them where the sunlight grenades were, they got really pissed.” Ethan took a deep breath to bolster his nerve, then opened his mouth so he could check out his new fangs. They seemed so big and he knew from firsthand experience that when he got horny or mad, they grew larger. Shit! There goes eating corn on the cob. That revelation was so random and ludicrous, he laughed.
�
�Do I even want to know what’s so funny?” Rafe smiled.
“I was just thinking about how limited my food choices are going to be now,” Ethan explained between chuckles.
“You’ll adjust.” Rafe nervously cleared his throat. “I’ll be there to help you every step of the way.”
“It’s going to be hard for me.” Ethan sobered as he gripped the edges of the sink. “I don’t mean the adapting to my new vampire life either.”
“I know it will.” Rafe clasped him on the shoulder.
“I’m not used to being close to others and it’s not going to be easy for me to get comfortable having you around.” Ethan was stunned that he was unloading this much, but it did feel good.
“Olivia is not mother of the year, that’s for sure,” Rafe said thickly. “I used to hate her for abandoning me as a kid. Now I realize I was the lucky one. I know I’ve already told you this, but I swear that if I’d known about you and what that bitch was putting you through, nothing would have stopped me from coming to get you.”
Ethan looked up into the mirror, meeting Rafe’s gaze through the reflection. “For the first time, I believe that.”
“When I saw you lying there, broken and dying I swore that if I got another chance, I would show you that I love you as much as Dante and Kane.”
Rafe’s eyes watered up a bit, which shocked Ethan almost as much as his declaration. Unless Rafe was with his mates, the only emotions he ever showed were moody and brooding. “You’re not going to try to hug me, are you?” Ethan deadpanned, hoping to lighten the mood.
“Christ no, that would make this a total chick flick moment,” Rafe shot back, catching on.
“Because I may have to kick your ass if you did.” Ethan turned so he could leave.
Rafe grabbed him and pulled him into an embrace so tight it hurt.
“You just had to go there,” Ethan quipped as he awkwardly brought his arms up to return the hug.
“I would give my life for you,” Rafe vowed.
“And it just keeps getting worse,” Ethan bitched, anything to keep things from getting more emotional. Between this and Zeke, he was going on overload. He pulled away from Rafe and went out into his bedroom.
Instantly, his gaze swept the room, looking for Zeke, but there was no sign of him. A strange sense of disappointment went through him. There was a little bit of hurt there, too. Yeah, maybe they hadn’t made any promises to each other, but the guy could have at least said goodbye.
Everyone else was up and moving around, his small room seeming even more cramped than usual since it was full of visitors. Morgan let out a squeal of delight and ran at him, throwing her arms around his waist. Great, another hug.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again, you jerk,” she cried as she continued to embrace him.
“I’m sorry, next time I die, I’ll make sure I get a signed permission slip from you first,” Ethan grumbled as he tried to untangle himself. Unfortunately, she was determined and held on tight. So he just sighed and waited for it to be over.
“In case you’re wondering, Zeke got called to a debriefing meeting,” she said, her voice muffled because her face was pressed against his chest.
“I wasn’t wondering,” he lied.
“Okay, sure you weren’t.” Muffled or not, there was a sharp tone of disbelief in her tone.
“I wasn’t,” he snapped, finally managing to get away. He moved as far away as his closet-sized bedroom would allow. It was tiny and not much, but he’d filled it with various pots of herbs, bottles of essential oils and crystals. It felt homey and it was the one place he could feel relaxed. Or at least is was until it had been invaded by a bunch of well-intentioned vampires.
“You should have seen what they were doing before the rest of you woke up,” Dante drawled. Sprawled out on a chair tucked into the corner of the room, the vampire had an I-know-what-you-were-doing grin on his face.
Ethan felt a warm heat come to his cheeks from embarrassment and more than a bit of outrage. “You should have told us you were awake,” Ethan snarled, not even bothering to hide his anger. Unfortunately, Dante lived for pissing off others and he just grinned even bigger.
“You two looked like you were having so much fun I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“What exactly was Zeke doing to him?” Rafe demanded as he slowly popped his knuckles.
“Use your imagination.”
“What went on between us is nobody’s business.” Ethan turned away from them and rummaged in his top drawer. He kept a supply of energy bars locked up in there. Grabbing one, he opened it and took a bite, tying hard to ignore how dry and bland it tasted. As he tried to choke it down, he debated the best way to get rid of everyone.
The door opened and Kane came in with a tray in his hands.
Ethan’s stomach jumped as the smell of chicken noodle soup hit him. The bar tasted even more like sand as he eyed up the bowl, all the while wishing he could go over there and down the entire thing.
Then he remembered a time when he’d been eighteen. He was still living with the Nine, but he’d started to get some respect because he was learning how to embrace the dark magic and fight dirty. His dedication had earned him a promotion in the ranks. Some rival had objected and spiked Ethan’s rations with a viper potion. Made with the venom of various snakes, the concoction had him writhing in pain for days and since there was no antidote, it forced him to suffer in agony until it had worked its way through his body.
When he’d come out of it, he found he’d been demoted. The reason? For being sloppy and letting his guard down. His mentors considered it a failure on his part for not detecting the poison or anticipating the attack.
“You need to eat some real food. Those energy bars aren’t going to do crap for you anymore,” Kane advised as he nodded to the tray.
“He’s right,” Dante added, his smartass attitude gone as he narrowed his gaze in concern. “You’re already too thin and your new vampire metabolism will demand even more fuel.”
Ethan fell back to the same fib he’d always used, “Thanks, but I don’t like soup. I’ll grab something from the kitchen later.”
“Bullshit!” Rafe growled. Going over to the tray, he picked up the spoon and took a bite, proving the food was safe. “Now sit down and eat before I slap a bib on you and fucking spoon feed you.”
Ethan didn’t know what he hated more, someone telling him what to do, or the fact that Rafe knew that the simple act of eating terrified him.
“Nice bedside manner you got going there,” Dante said with heavy sarcasm. “With that lovey-dovey attitude, it’s a wonder Dahlia doesn’t recruit you to work in the infirmary.”
“It works though. He and I have been down this road before.” Rafe picked up the bowl and shoved it into Ethan’s hands. “Eat.”
Ethan glowered at him, but he did pick up the spoon and take a bite. The broth was thick, flavorful and a whole lot better than the energy bar. Keeping the bowl close to his chest, he curled up in a chair and began to eat with gusto.
“What do you guys know about Zeke?” Rafe asked as he took a seat on the bed.
Ethan would have told him to mind his own business again, but he was too interested in the answers.
“Not much.” Dante shrugged. “I heard that while he was human, he used to be military, but I don’t even know what branch.”
“I’ve heard he has a real aversion to magics,” Morgan added. “While he’s never been mean to me or Dominic, he hasn’t gone out of his way to be friendly with us either.”
Ethan didn’t volunteer what Zeke had said to him when he’d rejected him after their first kiss. That moment was private and he felt like he would be betraying the vampire by blurting out all the personal details. Instead, he just kept his head down and continued eating.
“Yet, he doesn’t have any problem getting cozy with my brother,” Rafe observed, a shrewd look crossing his eyes.
“You’re forgetting one thing,” Ethan said, looking up from th
e bowl. “I’m not a warlock anymore.”
“Just because you lost your magic doesn’t change who you really are deep down,” Rafe replied softly.
“He’s right,” Morgan added. “For all we know, your magic may still build back up to what it was before.”
“Have you ever heard of that happening to a magic who their powers stripped from them?” Ethan swallowed hard against the bitter taste of hate in his mouth. If he ever saw Davis again, he would find a way to kill the bastard, even if he had to die himself in the process.
“Well, no,” Morgan conceded. “But in theory it could happen.”
“Yeah, well, I won’t be holding my breath.”
“Hey now, let’s not be such a grumpy gus,” Dante cracked. “I happen to think you look way better in fangs and from what I saw, you already know how to use them.”
“I think we need to find out more about Zeke and why he’s so interested in Ethan,” Kane said as he ran his hand over his jaw in a thoughtful manner.
“Agreed” Rafe nodded.
“Hey!” Ethan cut, in realizing he’d lost complete control of the situation. “I never asked for three vampire bodyguards. I can take care of myself.”
They all ignored him and continued planning their intrusion.
“Cherish was really close to Zeke at some point. I bet we can get some info from her,” Dante offered.
“How close?” Ethan felt a surge of unwanted jealously go through him. Again, they ignored him.
“Do you really think she would talk to us?” Kane asked.
“Sure, we’re pretty tight since she works on Brenden’s team,” Dante replied.
With a grunt of disgust, Ethan put down the now-empty bowl and got up, heading for the door.
“Where are you going?” Rafe called, sounding more than a bit annoyed.
“To find Cherish.” Ethan didn’t even turn around when he answered. “If she has the answers, then I want to talk to her. Maybe then, that will convince you that there’s nothing froggy going on, and you guys will leave Zeke alone”
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