Take My Hand [Brac Pack 28]

by Lynn Hagen

  Darcy’s breath caught as his eyes darted to another figure crossing the field on the side of the barn. Sterling wasn’t looking, hadn’t seen the other figure coming toward him. The figure was moving too quickly and everything inside of Darcy told him Sterling needed to get back inside, and fast.

  Blinking to make sure he was seeing things right, Darcy let out a silent scream when the dark figure swooped across the yard so quickly that Darcy thought he imagined the speed. He let go of the curtain, racing toward his bedroom door.

  What in the hell had Sterling been doing out there? It was late and dark. Sterling should have been in bed asleep, getting ready for work in the morning. His feet hit the last step, and Darcy was running toward the kitchen. He was out the back door and racing toward his brother when he felt his heart collapse in his chest.

  “Get off of me!” Sterling shouted as he fought the man who had him trapped on his back, on the ground. It was a sight that not only scared the hell out of Darcy, but something he never wanted to see in life again. The thought of anyone hurting Sterling had Darcy racing faster. No one was taking away the one person in his life that he cherished the most.

  Darcy didn’t think.

  He didn’t have time to think.

  Putting on a burst of speed, he leapt, plowing hard right into the figure that held his brother down. They rolled, Darcy ending up on his back, blinking up at the night sky.

  “I want him,” the man growled as he swiped at Darcy’s face with fingernails so long that Darcy was stunned momentarily. The fingernails almost looked like…claws. The thought quickly fled as he cried out when he felt his skin being torn open. His face felt as if a fire had been lit right under the surface. The burning was so close to Darcy’s eye that he feared the man had torn it out.

  Raising his arms, Darcy tried his best to block the next attack. He wasn’t sure what was going on, or who the man was, but he knew he had to stop the man from attacking Sterling. He cursed when he saw Sterling jump up with a determined glint in his eyes right before he rammed his shoulder into the guy.

  That gave Darcy some leeway. He rolled, shoving his knee right into the man’s groin. The attacker howled and then pushed Sterling away, coming straight for Darcy.

  Oh, shit.

  The man growled as he knocked Darcy on his ass, but Darcy wasn’t giving up. Sterling was his little brother and Darcy was determined to keep him safe. He would die to protect Sterling, even though a small part of him feared he would have to do just that. But Darcy had raised Sterling since he was two. Not only was he a big brother, but somewhat of a father figure.

  There was no way the stranger was getting his hands on Sterling. His brother meant more to him than his own life.

  When the guy’s arm came close enough, Darcy opened his mouth and bit into hard flesh. He locked his jaws, praying he took a big chunk of flesh with him. The man punched Darcy right in his damn jaw, knocking Darcy loose of his death grip and probably loosening a few teeth as well.

  “You’ll pay for that,” the man grunted as he straddled Darcy’s hips, pressing one of his hands onto Darcy’s chest.

  Fuck, he couldn’t breathe. The guy had unbelievable strength. It felt as if the man were pushing every single ounce of breath from Darcy’s body. It hurt. It was painful, but Darcy was not going to give up and allow this man to get his hands on Sterling.

  “Go get help,” Darcy called out as he struggled to get the man off of his damn chest. The guy wasn’t light, and Darcy felt as though he were going to suffocate at any moment. He wasn’t even sure why the man had attacked Sterling, but Darcy would be damned if he allowed his younger brother to be hurt.

  “Oh. My. Gods!” Sterling shouted as he jumped back, pointing frantically toward the house.“There is a bear heading our way!”

  Darcy made the mistake of looking behind him. The man on his chest sliced his face again, the burning somehow worse this time. Darcy howled, slamming his fist into the guy’s chest. It was almost like a fly fighting a wall of steel. The punches didn’t seem to do a damn thing as the man swiped at Darcy’s face again.

  But the fear that Darcy felt was a weight that was going to crush him. He was terrified that this man was going to kill him. Dread pounded through his bloodstream, and bile rose to the back of his throat. Please let someone come and help.

  He would do whatever he had to in order to protect Sterling, but the fear of dying couldn’t be stopped as it pounded through his body, making him fight even harder to stay alive. None of this made sense, but Darcy didn’t have time to analyze a damn thing. He was fighting for his life, Sterling’s life, and to breathe.

  Darcy cried out when the man bit into his shoulder. It felt like he was crushing Darcy’s damn collarbone. He even heard something snap. The man was going to eat him! Darcy punched at the man’s head, trying desperately to make the man get off of him. It just wasn’t working out the way he planned. The guy was relentless, and wasn’t giving up his hold.

  Darcy felt tears sting his eyes when he saw Raven behind the stranger. He was fighting to get the man’s teeth from out of Darcy’s shoulder. Darcy was dragged a few inches, the pain exploding through his shoulder and face like a nuclear bomb, and then the man released his hold on Darcy’s body.

  The weight was finally off of Darcy, enabling him to breathe once more. He immediately cupped his face as he turned over onto his stomach and then jumped to his feet, swaying slightly as dizziness washed over him. His face hurt, his shoulder was on fire, and he felt like he was going to vomit. He heard growls and howls, but Darcy was too damn dizzy to concentrate.

  Loss of blood would do that to a guy.

  “Easy, mate,” Raven said as he appeared out of thin air. He placed his hands on Darcy’s shoulders, steadying him as Darcy quickly glanced over at Sterling. The oldest Lakeland brother was at Sterling’s side, his body between Sterling’s and the fight. His younger brother was staring up at Riley, his brows furrowed, as if trying to figure the man out.

  “Let’s get you inside,” Raven said as he tried to turn Darcy toward the house.

  “No, I can’t leave Sterling out here!” Darcy fought to get free, to get back to his brother, but his steps faltered and his head swooned. He could barely see from the blood that was trickling into his eyes, nearly blinding him.

  “Riley has him,” Raven said as he coaxed Darcy to move closer to the house.“Trust me. Sterling is very safe with Riley.”

  “I’m fine,” Sterling called out to Darcy, but was still staring up at Riley. Riley glanced at Sterling, and then looked away. He repeated the move over and over again.

  Darcy turned, in too much pain to try and understand what was going on with his baby brother when another wave of dizziness swamped him. He would have dropped to the ground, but Raven’s strong arms caught him.

  Sterling jogged over to him, his eyes growing wide.“Darcy, oh, my gods. You’re hurt.”

  “Was the blood dripping down my face a clue?” Darcy asked as Raven’s arms tightened around him.

  “Let Raven get Darcy inside and cleaned up,” Riley said to Sterling as he pulled Sterling back by his shoulders.

  Darcy was a little confused at the overprotective way Riley was handling Sterling. The man’s face was grim as he stared down at Darcy’s younger brother. Darcy wanted to stay and question things to death, but the lightheadedness was becoming too much.

  Something very strange was going on in this sleepy little town. Darcy knew it was too damn perfect. He winced, pain shooting through his face and straight to his head.“The prick cut my face open.”

  “I know.” The angry growl could be heard in Raven’s tone. For some reason, Darcy liked that Raven was pissed that he got hurt. Of course, Darcy would rather not have been hurt, but knowing Raven was mad…well, it was nice that someone besides his brother cared.

  “Why is there a bear on the ranch?” he asked as Raven guided him through the house and up the stairs.“And who in the hell was that who attacked me?” The dizziness wa
s getting worse. Darcy could see small dots dancing in his vision now. Man, that attacker had done a number on him. He shuddered at the thought of what kind of scars were going to be left behind once he healed. If he thought he hadn’t been that good looking before…

  “Let’s get you cleaned up before the interrogation begins.” Raven guided Darcy into his bedroom. Darcy was relieved for some odd reason that he was in his own room. He hadn’t even been here a full night, yet the room comforted him in some strange sense. Raven hit the light switch in the bathroom and guided Darcy over to the sink. The lights were bright, hurting Darcy’s wounded eye.

  “Too bright,” Darcy complained.

  Raven turned the light off. The bathroom was now dimly lit, the light from his bedroom filtering into the bathroom. Darcy wasn’t sure how Raven could see, but the man was moving around the bathroom as if the lights were still on.

  As much pain as Darcy was in, Raven’s closeness hadn’t gone unnoticed. Mixed in with the metallic scent of his own blood, Darcy could smell Raven’s earthy scent. Gods, was there a better smell in the world than a strong, handsome man? He would argue that there wasn’t.

  Darcy leaned against the counter, watching as Raven pulled a washcloth from inside a small cabinet and wet it under the running faucet.“Hold still.”

  He held still, but Darcy couldn’t help but notice the strong tic in Raven’s jaw. Was Raven holding his breath? Darcy sure as hell was. Not only did his face and shoulder hurt like nobody’s business, he was so close to Raven that all he had to do was lean forward and their lips would be touching. How embarrassing would it be to sport a boner in the bathroom as Raven cleaned him up?

  Darcy stayed completely still as Raven wiped the side of his face. It disturbed him how the white towel Raven was using turned a deep shade of red. Even in the dimly lit bathroom Darcy knew it was way too much blood washing down the sink.

  When he glanced back up at Raven, the man’s dark eyes bore into Darcy’s, making Darcy feel as if he were falling forward into the stars and galaxy beyond. He leaned forward, his lips parting as Darcy watched the black irises with intense interest.

  “If you keep staring like that, I’ll bedazzle you,” Raven said softly as he dropped the washcloth and cupped Darcy’s jaw, bringing it so close that his lips touched the wound on the right side of Darcy’s face. Raven inhaled, his eyelids fluttering.“You smell so sweet.”

  Darcy shivered as Raven closed the distance, gently kissing the side of his face.“What are you doing?” He whispered the question.

  “Healing you. Tasting you. Wanting you. Going mad because I want to lick every inch of your flesh with my tongue.” Raven tilted Darcy’s head to the side, his tongue trailing up the side of Darcy’s face so slowly that Darcy could feel Raven’s tongue licking the blood from the wound.

  “Raven.”

  “Shh. Let me heal you.” Raven kissed and licked Darcy’s neck and shoulder until Darcy was so hard he was afraid his cock would explode from so much blood buildup. He placed his hands on Raven’s waist, curling his fingers around the man’s shirt as Raven inhaled and then shuddered.“So sweet.”

  Darcy didn’t protest when Raven led him from the bathroom, walking Darcy backward as he kept his hands on Darcy’s face, continually licking over the torn flesh.

  When the back of Darcy’s legs hit the bed, he gasped. Raven slowly lowered Darcy until his back was resting on the mattress.“So sweet.” Raven’s hands, but not his tongue, left Darcy’s face, skimming down Darcy’s body until they reached the snap of Darcy’s jeans.

  Darcy grabbed Raven’s wrists, stopping him from going any further.“What are you doing, Raven?”

  “Loving you, Darcy.” He kissed the side of Darcy’s face and then leaned back, a crooked smile on his face.“Tell me no one has ever loved you before.”

  “Has anyone ever loved you?” Darcy countered, evading Raven’s question. Darcy wasn’t ready to answer that question. Especially with the way Raven was looking at Darcy with such intensity that it scared him.

  “No,” he admitted and then kissed Darcy’s wound once more. “I’ve never had anyone love me the way mates are supposed to love each other. I’ve never loved a man before, either.”

  Darcy was a bit confused. Raven’s answer made no sense to him. “Me either.” He felt it was his safest response. Strangely enough, Darcy noticed that his face no longer felt like it was on fire. Whatever Raven had done to him, it made his wounds stop hurting, but on the tail end of that thought, Darcy felt his body catch on fire from Raven’s touch. It was a different kind of fire than his wounds, and Darcy admitted to himself that he welcomed this blaze.

  “So let me love you, Darcy,” Raven murmured seductively as he pulled his wrists free, going once more for Darcy’s snap. Darcy laid his hands on the side of his body, and then lifted them and rested them over his head. He wasn’t really sure where he should put them.

  Raven grinned as he laid a soft kiss on Darcy’s wounded eye. “Leave them where they are. You look sexy lying there letting me have my wicked way with you.”

  Darcy stilled, staring directly into Raven’s mouth. He didn’t think his night could get any weirder, but it had. Was he really seeing fangs? Did Raven really have fangs? Gods, his mind just couldn’t register what he was seeing.

  The. Man. Had. Fangs.

  He had seen them as clear as day when Raven grinned. He knew it wasn’t a trick of the lighting.“What’s going on, Raven?”

  Raven leaned forward, pressing his face into Darcy’s neck, and nipped at his skin before licking at the wound in Darcy’s shoulder, a low, guttural growl leaving Raven’s throat.“Do you fear me, Darcy?” He breathed his question out slowly.

  “I don’t even know you, Raven.” But he knew one thing. Raven was a vampire. There was no way this could be possible, but the man’s teeth said it all. Now even the biting made sense, and Darcy felt dizzy all over again.

  What in the fuck was going on in this town?

  “Yes, you do,” Raven said as he leaned back and pulled at the end of Darcy’s pant leg.“Look at me and tell me your soul doesn’t recognize mine. Tell me that you don’t feel like we’ve known each other since the beginning of time. You feel a connection, a pull, something between us that makes you want to stay with me forever.”

  “I think you’re hot,” Darcy admitted and then glanced away, afraid to look at Raven now that he knew the truth. He had a vampire hovering above him, stripping Darcy’s clothes from his body. Maybe he suffered more blood loss than he originally thought.

  Raven gave a low and seductive chuckle. The sound made Darcy’s cock impossibly harder.“Coming from you, that means a lot to me. But I can smell your fear, Darcy. There is no need for it.”

  Darcy looked back at Raven, and then his eyes drifted down to Raven’s mouth.“But you drink blood.”

  “I do.”

  “My blood.”

  “I did.”

  “I—” Darcy shook his head, his eyes drifting up toward the ceiling.“I knew there was something strange about this town. It seemed a little too perfect, a little too serene.”

  “There is more here than you could ever imagine, Darcy,” Raven said as he ripped Darcy’s shirt from his body. He should be afraid, but he wasn’t. Raven tearing his only good shirt miffed him though. Now what was he going to wear to work in the morning?

  “Why do you look angry?”

  “Because that was my only shirt,” he admitted.

  Raven cocked his head, studying Darcy for a moment, and then shook his head, as if dismissing the silly idea. Darcy dismissed it as well when Raven dipped down and began to lick at his nipple. Hell, he tossed the whole thought process right out of the damn window.

  “You have sensitive nipples,” Raven said as he blew a tiny puff of air across Darcy’s moistened nipple. Darcy moaned.

  Who knew?“Yeah,” Darcy whimpered, his back arching, trying his best to feed Raven his nipple. Darcy let a soft, drawn-out satisfied sound leave his thro
at as Raven teased his flesh with his tongue and teeth.

  Once again, Darcy was naked while Raven was fully dressed. He wanted to touch the man’s flesh, wanted to feel it under his fingers. The need was so overwhelming that Darcy reached for Raven’s shirt, pulling at it.

  “Stop.” Raven grabbed Darcy’s wrists, placing them back above his head.

  “But I want to touch you, too,” he whined.

  “Trust me, you will.” Raven began to kiss his way down Darcy’s chest, until his mouth was so close to Darcy’s cock that it jerked in excitement. He began to pant when Raven licked his lips, and then his tongue snaked out, tasting Darcy’s pre-cum as if experimenting with the taste.“Salty.”

  Darcy gritted his teeth, trying his damnedest not to come in Raven’s face. The guy was slowly torturing him to death as he just lay there, examining Darcy’s cock.“It’s a dick. Now suck it.”

  Raven’s eyes slowly lifted to Darcy’s face, a dark brow lifting.

  “Sorry,” Darcy murmured as he let out a long breath. “Do whatever you like.”

  “Whatever I like? Hmm, I like the sound of that.” Raven spread Darcy’s legs further apart, his tongue tentatively lapping at Darcy’s balls. Darcy slammed his eyes shut, counting to ten, and then to twenty. If Raven didn’t suck him off soon, Darcy was going to blow without the man ever wrapping his lips around Darcy’s dick.

  His toes curled and his back arched as Raven dipped his head down and took Darcy’s tight balls into his mouth. He shouted, his seed exploding onto his chest.“Fuck!”

  Raven continued to suck Darcy’s balls, slowly letting up until he pushed up onto his arms, using one hand to swipe the cum from Darcy’s chest and shove his finger into his mouth.

  Darcy groaned at the sight of the man tasting him. It was erotic as hell. He had imagined what it would be like to finally be with a man, but nothing in his wildest imagination prepared him for reality. Raven was everything and more. Just the masculine tilt of his smile had Darcy ready for round two. The man was simply gorgeous, and that only made Darcy wonder why the guy wanted him, but he let that thought go when Raven continued to give him such a seductive smile.