by Dakota Dawn
“What happened, Darrin?” Tristan asked.
“I don’t know. I found him in the greenhouse. The house on the property was burned down and dead bodies were in the front yard.” Darrin stopped to get himself under control. “Then I went crazy when I got a good whiff of him. I tried to mist him to the great room so Luke and Milly could help him, but I ended up in Drake’s office instead.”
Even though the vamp didn’t say anything out loud, Drake smirked. In two hundred years all would be forgotten, Darrin reminded himself.
Once the man’s ankle was wrapped in an herb-soaked piece of gauze, Luke raised it and iced it. The elf looked at Darrin’s scarred cheek he’d stitched up a year ago.
“With you boys around, my stitching skills will never get rusty,” Luke stated. The elf pointed at the man’s flat briefs. “Why doesn’t this cocky-looking young man have a package?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Drake said.
Luke reached out to pull the man’s briefs down. Darrin hissed a warning and they all looked at him.
Drake made a small move of his hand, and Darrin was invisibly pushed down in a chair with his arms and legs locked down by the powerful vamp’s force.
“Do you need to leave the room?” Tristan asked.
A tremor rocked his body. After taking a deep breath, he shook his head.
Luke pulled the man’s briefs down and everyone in the room gasped. The finely sculptured man on the bed was a female. The beast in him didn’t care at all. He hissed another warning, and Luke pulled the briefs back up.
“Is this Darrin’s mate?” Luke asked. “I’ve never heard of a two-year-old vampire finding his mate.”
“Neither have any of us. Darrin’s got some of the signs, but it could be just the animal laying claim to the person it found. A person the beast is interested in playing with.” Tristan tapped his chin as he looked Darrin over.
The blue-green threads in Drake’s golden eyes lit up. “I heard of a vampire doing that once. After a sensual night with the male he was back to normal.”
“Sounds like he was practicing laying a claim,” Caleb added, intrigue dominated his words. He looked at Darrin. “That could be what’s happening to you.”
“The feelings coming off him are strong. Be extra careful around this human so that you don’t hurt him. Let us look into this. We can ask a few older vampires if they’ve ever seen a baby vampire mated.” At Tristan’s words Darrin was able to relax. He now knew they’d help him with his suddenly out-of-control emotions.
Could he be experiencing what other vampires went through when they were first turned? Possibly a delayed reaction to the changes in his body? From what he’d heard it was rare for a fledgling vampire to have the tight grip on the beast he had. Everyone here had never seen his level of restraint before. Had his inner beast been toying with him? Was it really the one in control?
He looked at the person on the bed. The tingling in his groin grew sharper. The wild side of him wanted to pounce. One glance at Drake had him focusing on calming down.
“What do you think we have here?” Tristan asked the group while gesturing to the person on the bed.
Drake’s brows drew together. “A woman hiding from a deadly threat?”
Luke nodded. “Could be.”
Milly placed a sheet over their bandaged guest.
Darrin felt the creature in him relax a little. Tristan turned and looked at him, but didn’t say anything.
“This person could be transgender,” Caleb said wisely.
“You could be on to something.” Drake nodded as he looked at their guest.
“We need to get her or him to drink this tea. With that bruised throat it will be difficult. Without this tea the wounds won’t heal very fast.” Milly held up a cup of healing tea.
Caleb sat on the bed and patted the guy on the shoulder. He didn’t get a response so he tapped the guy again. Deep down, Darrin knew it was Pierce and that he was transgender.
When Caleb couldn’t get a response, he became worried. He needed to see the man moving and talking. The beast in him stirred. Action needed to be taken now. “Let me try.” He cut his gaze to Drake.
All of the brothers looked at each other and then nodded.
“I’ll be watching you,” Drake warned as he released the force holding Darrin.
Chapter Three
Darrin moved faster than he ever had. The bed shook as he leapt on it and hovered over the still man. Careful not to jar the man’s foot or head, he stared at the guy. Right now the guy wasn’t handsome at all with his swollen forehead, stitches, and bruised face, but to him the man was a siren.
“Wake up, injured one. We need to talk to you. You are safe here. Wake up.” Darrin’s heart stopped when he saw the guys eyes move behind his eyelids. Leaning down, he sniffed the guy and wasn’t surprised when his groin started tingling again. He knew this person was important to him and always would be. The beast in him agreed.
Trying again, he whispered, “Pierce, wake up. It’s me, Darrin. We’ve been talking for nine months.” The guy’s eyes fluttered and then slowly opened. Darrin smiled down at him and was rewarded with a small smile from the man.
Drake stepped over to the bed, drawing the man’s attention away from himself. The beast in him didn’t like that at all.
“Watch yourself, Darrin,” Tristan ordered.
He huffed and eased back, but he didn’t leave the bed.
“Is your name Pierce Linden?” Drake asked.
The man’s light-brown eyes clouded for a second as if he searched for his name. When the confusion lifted from his gaze, the man tried to say yes. With a pained expression he reached up to touch his bruised throat.
Tristan called Whit and asked the brothers to come to the room. As they waited Milly handed Darrin the cup of healing tea.
“You need to drink this tea. It doesn’t taste good, but it’ll have you on your feet in no time,” Darrin coaxed.
Caleb propped a few pillows under Pierce’s head and shoulders. Confusion once again clouded those pretty eyes.
“I went to see you at your business and found you in the greenhouse passed out and beaten up.” Darrin ached to hold Pierce.
Pierce groaned and then winced as he sagged onto the extra pillows. Darrin gave him a few seconds and then held the herb tea to the man’s lips. He took a swallow and made a face.
“At least you didn’t gag like I did when I had to drink this stuff.” Darrin held out the cup again and like a good patient the man took another swallow and then another. Soon the cup was empty.
“You must have recognized the herbs, otherwise you wouldn’t have handled that so well,” Caleb said.
Pierce nodded that he had.
Darrin felt so much better now that Pierce had finished the healing tea. The guy was on the fast track to recovery now. That made him and his beast very happy.
Parker and Whit walked into the room. He was glad all of the rooms on the Wyckoff brothers’ property were huge. With all the large men that gathered in the rooms, every inch of space was needed.
Pierce looked around the room at all of the people.
Milly patted Luke on the shoulder. “Now that our jobs are done, why don’t we leave so he’ll feel less threatened?”
“Oh yeah, that sounds good.” The elf turned to Tristan. “Let us know when we’re needed again.”
“Will do. Thanks for patching our guest up,” Tristan answered.
Darrin watched the two slip from the room and appreciated their thoughtfulness. Everyone in the room knew the good stuff was about to be revealed. They’d have to be filled in later.
He turned back to Pierce. “I’m Darrin. These guys are the owners of Blood Moon Wine. Tristan, Caleb, and Drake Wyckoff.” He pointed each man out as he said their names. “You’re in one of their guest rooms.” Pointing at the other men, he continued, “These other guys are Whit and Parker. They work here.”
“They can read your lips so you don’t ha
ve to try and speak,” Tristan said in a soft, calming voice.
What a whopper that was. He doubted they could read lips. Minds were a whole other matter, though.
Whit smiled and looked at him. Darrin tried to blank his mind. When it didn’t work Whit chuckled softly. Bastard. That thought brought on a wider smile from the vamp.
Drake looked at Pierce. “Is your name Pierce Linden?”
The man’s lips formed yes. Neither man repeated Pierce’s answer.
“Do you know who your attackers were?” Drake asked.
“He doesn’t.” In too low a voice for Pierce to hear, Whit added, “His attackers were chanting must kill.”
“Are you hiding from anyone?” Drake’s question made the beast in Darrin stir.
“No,” Whit supplied.
“Why do you work out so much?” Drake was obviously trying to find out if Pierce was transgender.
“He likes to,” Parker answered.
In a low tone, Whit added, “He’s transgender and likes to work out to keep the fat off because it makes him look feminine. He also likes to be strong.”
Everyone in the room nodded their understanding.
Darrin’s spirit soared. Pierce was safe from a deadly past threat. Not so safe now that he’d been attacked by the same pack of humans he and Conlin had been attacked by.
“Have you been on TV recently?” Drake asked.
Pierce blinked tiredly. “Yes,” came his sluggish reply.
They all looked at each other solemnly.
“I know you’re getting tired. That’s good. Rest will help you heal. Before you fall asleep, I’d like you to remember everything you can about the attack. Thinking about it now could help you recall it easier when you wake up. Can you let the attack run through your mind now, Pierce?” Drake asked in a soothing tone.
The exhausted man nodded and closed his eyes.
Whit and Parker stared at Pierce as they read each thought going through the battered man’s mind.
He silently feared for Pierce. Would him thinking about the attack before sleep cause him to have nightmares? Anger started to well up in him. They shouldn’t be doing this to Pierce.
A hand on his shoulder startled the crap out of him. Before he could say anything, Tristan misted them into Drake’s office.
“What’s got you so riled up?” the huge vamp asked.
“Is Pierce remembering being attacked right before falling asleep going to give him nightmares?” The anger the beast was feeling was growing rapidly. Nobody was allowed to hurt Pierce.
“Calm down. The tea Milly gave him knocks the person out cold. No good dreams, nor bad dreams. We’d never do anything that would hurt an innocent,” Tristan assured.
The beast in him relaxed. Now that Pierce was temporarily out of danger, he could breathe easily.
“I’ve got to call the police and let them know Pierce was attacked and that men are dead on his lawn. Try to keep it together,” Tristan said and then asked, “What’s Pierce’s address?”
After telling Tristan the address, he stepped over to the heavily curtained window and looked out at the night sky. He didn’t get to admire the stars for long.
Conlin burst into the room and rushed over to him. His brother hugged him tightly. “Oh God, I just heard you came upon a man who’d been attacked by the same people who tried to kill us. Are you all right?”
Greg, the ghost that was attached to Conlin, floated nervously back and forth. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it,” the spirit stated.
“Tristan what’s going on? Why does Darrin look out of sorts?” Conlin asked in a concerned tone.
“Darrin’s just having some trouble. We’ll talk about it in our rooms later. The guys should be here any second.” As Tristan said the last word, Drake, Caleb, Whit, and Parker entered the room.
Tristan turned to Whit and Parker. “What did you find out?”
“That Pierce is one tough dude.” Whit fist bumped Parker.
“Yep, out of five assailants, he killed four. When his ankle was injured, he knocked the last man out and retreated to his cellar. Which, thanks to his uncle, had a secret tunnel. One he needed, because the man eventually broke into the cellar. These assholes are meticulous,” Parker stated.
“The most intriguing part is when he crawled out of the tunnel and to the edge of the woods around his home. He heard a cackling laugh and watched his last attacker go through the moves of getting into a vehicle Pierce couldn’t see and then the guy just disappeared. He also heard tires on his driveway.” Whit recounted Pierce’s thoughts.
“Then he crawled to his greenhouse, popped some painkillers, and then passed out,” Parker finished.
“Greg heard a cackle when he was killed.” Conlin turned to Greg. “You didn’t see the person laughing, did you?”
“No. Just the evil cackling sound,” the ghost answered.
“Since the guy was going through the motions of getting in a vehicle before he vanished and Greg never saw the laughing leader when he was attacked, it makes me wonder if the being we’re looking for has figured out how to camouflage a vehicle, and itself.” Parker looked at his brother, and Whit nodded his agreement. Both of the vamps’ ponytails bobbed around their shoulders. They were quite a pair.
Parker’s green eyes glowed lightly as he thought. “It has to be some sort of cloaking spell because humans can only disguise one side of a vehicle and it takes some effort. What they’ve come up with is not full coverage and can’t be done at all while driving.”
Whit nodded. “True.”
“A witch?” Drake questioned thoughtfully.
Tristan took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. “Possibly. We’ll have to ask around and find out if any of the witches or warlocks know anything about one of their own turning to the dark side.”
Drake looked into his brother’s eyes. “I’ll call around and see what I can find out.”
“We’re one step closer to finding the being that’s after us. Pierce gave us some good information. Let’s use it. Tell the others. We need everyone to know about the cloaking. That Pierce is transgender needs to be kept private. If he chooses to tell people, he will, if not, that’s up to him. Everyone got it?” Tristan asked firmly.
Head nods and the word “yes” came from them all.
Darrin was relieved. Pierce was his business. Right now he needed to see the man. His beast was once again getting antsy.
“If we are done, I’m going to check on Pierce.” Not liking to fight, he hoped nobody objected because he was leaving even if he had to fight his way to Pierce.
Conlin stepped closer to Darrin. “I’ll go with you. I want to meet him. He’s our herb grower, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
Tristan looked him over and then glanced at everyone else in the room. “The meeting’s finished. Remember what you can and can’t say.”
Turning his attention to Darrin and Conlin, Tristan grabbed them both by the arm and misted them into Pierce’s suite of rooms.
Darrin was thankful for the aid. In his state of mind there was no telling where he’d end up if he tried to mist. The lion’s cage Drake had joked about came to mind and he shivered.
Moving to the bedside, he looked down at Pierce. Just seeing him bandaged and still was frustrating the beast in him. His fangs itched and threatened to reveal themselves.
Conlin stood beside him and whispered. “He’s handsome. I bet he’s really hot when he’s not black and blue. I’m glad you found him alive and brought him here. The assholes killing innocent people failed this time.”
The last sentence from his brother calmed him. When Conlin had been talking about how hot Pierce was, he’d felt a strong desire to bare his fangs and hiss at his brother. Unclenching his fists, Darrin was surprised that he’d even fisted them to begin with. Pierce was driving him crazy.
Pierce moaned and tried to turn on his side. He winced in pain when his ankle shifted. With a grunt he eased back to his original posi
tion. The man moaned again and then stilled.
His groin started tingling at the sound of Pierce moaning and the urge to drink from the man was growing stronger. He had to get out of the room, now.
Needing something to do, he turned to Tristan, who was closely monitoring him from behind and asked, “Will you mist me to Pierce’s place so I can get the company truck?”
“Yes. Picture the place. I’m going to touch the back of your head so I can see what you’re envisioning and then I’ll take us there.” Tristan looked at Conlin. “Will you stay here with Pierce and watch over him?”
“Of course, see you in a bit. We’ll talk then.” Conlin cut his gaze to his brother and then back to Tristan.
“Yes, we will,” Tristan assured and then touched the back of Darrin’s head.
In a flash they were at Pierce’s. The house was still smoking and everything was just as he’d left it, dead bodies in the yard and all.
Tristan looked around. “This was a nice place. Looks like Pierce is quite the warrior.”
“Yes, he is. He’s also a siren calling to me. I had to get away from him for just a while. I know I’ll have to see him tomorrow evening. I can’t stay away for long. Do you think this burning need to be near him will go away if I can talk him into having sex with me? Like the vampire Drake heard about?” he asked the vamp desperately.
“Maybe. You’re just so young. We don’t know what to think. Just be careful around Pierce and always drink a few glasses of the calming wine before you go see him.”
“I will. Guess I better start the two hour drive back. Hopefully it will clear my head,” Darrin said.
Tristan looked at his watch. “Maybe so. You do need to hit the road. The police will be here for the dead bodies and to investigate in about ten to twenty minutes. See you at home. Be careful,” Tristan said and then misted back home.
Darrin climbed into the company truck and started it up. He looked around one more time at the destruction and his heart ached for Pierce. Pulling slowly from the driveway, he headed back to Pierce. That made the beast in him happy, very happy.
