“No, no,” Quinn whispered. This was all going to shit.
Adrian’s lips curled into a mockery of a smile as he first released Mackie then shoved him to the side. Mackie smacked against the shipping container and fell with a cry. Slowly, Adrian raised his arms and stepped over him. The alien pulled his lips back to expose long, sharp teeth on either side of his upper jaw. His eyes turned a bright shade of red. The look was the Frank Langella version of a vampire with a kind of haunting, dark beauty that must have charmed his victims, even as it paralyzed them with fear.
Where the hell are Alex and Val? Quinn turned to scream out a warning. “Run!”
The cops stood a few feet from each other, their legs firmly planted and their guns held out in a two-handed stance. They undoubtedly thought they were in control. In reality, they didn’t stand a chance. This guy wasn’t surrendering. He was about to annihilate them.
His warning had barely left his lips before Adrian made his move. His body was a blur of motion that, even knowing it was coming, startled him. Anderson didn’t even have a chance to fire before he was sent flying toward the water. His gun dropped from his hand as he hit a nearby loading crane with a terrible ringing sound. Then his body went careening into the water.
Duncan got off one shot. It did him no good. Adrian was on him in a split second, wrenching the gun from his hands and snapping his right arm with a sickening crack that caused bile to rise in Quinn’s throat. The cop screamed with the break and went sailing a few yards away to land on a vacant patch of grass.
Quinn had no time to worry about the man because Adrian’s gaze became fixated on him. He saw death in those eyes and he couldn’t hold back the whimper.
“Alex!” He’d intended to shout the plea, but it came out as barely a squeak.
Adrian laughed and took one step forward. That was as close as he got before a black blur tackled him with a roar. Now, it was Adrian’s turn to go flying through the air. A flash of motion in the corner of Quinn’s eye took his attention for a second. Another black blur dove into the water where Anderson had gone in.
Alex let out that glass-shattering roar of his, making the hairs on Quinn’s arms stand and taking his attention back. For a second he stood mesmerized by the sight of Alex with his fangs descended and murder in his now-red eyes. It was a sense of thrill knowing that all that rage was in his defense.
The resurrection of Adrian, however, got him moving. As the man rose from the ground to go one-on-one with Alex, Quinn ran over to Mackie. He knew he had to stay out of the way so as not to distract Alex. He was also worried about his friend and was relieved to see him awake.
“Here, let me help you. We need to take cover.” He tried to raise Mackie to his feet.
The boy stumbled against him and bit back a cry. “He broke my arm.”
“I figured. Lean on me.” Quinn tried to take the brunt of Mackie’s weight and drag him farther behind the nearby shipping container. Realizing that Mackie wasn’t going to be able to remain upright, he settled them both in a sitting position on the ground.
They had a clear view of the epic battle that was being waged in the scrubby clearing next to the dock. It was frightening to watch and impossible to turn away from. The two aliens grappled like MMA fighters—a no-holds-barred, vicious battle that involved punches, kicks and the occasional bite. Alex was the taller of the two, yet not as broad as Adrian. They moved so fast that it was hard to tell who was winning. They appeared to be a non-stop twirling ball of black, with arms and legs sticking out.
Mackie clung to him. “You brought Alex?”
“Of course I did. I got what you were trying to say when you mentioned Val. I knew that you were forced to call me. Even if I hadn’t believed that, I wouldn’t have been dumb enough to leave the club on my own.”
Mackie gave an almost hysterical laugh. “He broke into my apartment. I couldn’t stop him. He was too strong and he…” His breath hitched. “He’s not human. None of them are.”
“I know.”
Mackie turned his face away from the battle long enough to stare at him. “You do?”
“Yeah, I found out after Adrian tried to kidnap me.”
Before he could explain further, a commotion by the pier once more caught his attention. Val hoisted himself out of the water with one hand. The other held Anderson in place across his shoulder. The moment he had both feet on the ground, he flipped the man onto his back. Anderson wasn’t moving. Val looked up, his gaze homing in on Mackie for a second before he started mouth-to-mouth on the cop.
Quinn returned to watching the fight, and that was when he noticed Duncan crawling. With his injured arm held tight against his side, the cop was dragging himself one-handed over to where his gun had fallen.
No, you idiot. You’ll get yourself killed.
He didn’t dare shout out a warning to the man, not wanting to draw attention to what he was doing. He also knew that the cop would never get a shot off without Adrian killing him first. And he might even accidently hurt Alex. These aliens weren’t bullet-proof. Alex had told him as much. It took more to kill them than it did a human, but it could be done.
“Stay here,” he said to Mackie, propping him against the container.
He didn’t allow himself to think too much about what he was doing. Crouching low, he ran over to Duncan and slid next to him like he was heading into home plate. Then he kicked the gun away from the man’s reach.
“What the fuck are you doing, kid?” Duncan’s voice was strained by more than pain. His eyes darted between Quinn and the men fighting nearby. The man’s face was whiter than the aliens’ and his fear was palpable.
“Keeping you alive,” he shot back in a low voice. “You can’t win this fight. Leave it to Alex.”
Their interaction had not gone unnoticed, however. Adrian landed a vicious blow to Alex’s midsection with his foot, sending the man perilously close to the water. Then Adrian set his sights on Quinn and Duncan, not that he likely cared about the cop. He had Quinn by his neck in the space of a heartbeat. He held him dangling off the ground so far that Quinn’s feet couldn’t touch it.
His air supply was cut off. Choking and gasping, he scratched at Adrian’s hand. That was all the creature needed to hold him in place. It was less than futile, his efforts having no effect. Adrian laughed as he turned Quinn like a prize for Alex to see.
“Let him go, fucker!” Using both feet, Duncan kicked from his position lying on the ground. He hit Adrian’s legs enough to jar him.
The distraction caused the grip on Quinn’s throat to ease. He was able to draw in a needed breath and almost wiggle free. Adrian hissed at Duncan, all fangs and hot breath. Then he grunted wide-eyed as he flew away by virtue of Alex’s newest assault. Quinn landed in the crook of Alex’s arm before being pushed down.
“Duncan, keep him out of the way,” Alex ordered before racing over to grab Adrian by the throat. “You dare to touch what’s mine!” He punctuated his angry accusation by biting off a chunk of Adrian’s face.
“Oh.” Quinn had to look away from the blood and gore.
Wrapping his uninjured arm around Quinn’s shoulders, Duncan pulled him flat on the ground. “You were right, kid. This is nothing for us to get in the middle of. These fuckers are way out of my league for sure, whatever the hell they are.”
“Aliens.” The word popped out of his mouth before he could stop it.
Duncan sighed. “Of course, they are. Shit! Better than being vampires, I guess. And regardless, I want your boyfriend coming out on top, if only because the other asshole killed my partner.”
“I don’t think so.” Quinn shook his head and pointed a trembling finger in the direction of where he’d last seen Val and Anderson. The cop was lying on his side now. Val had one hand on the man’s shoulder in what seemed like a reassuring gesture while he watched Alex and Adrian fight.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Duncan breathed. “Thank God.” He fumbled around his pocket and pulled out his phone.
“I need to call for back-up and an ambulance.”
Quinn grabbed his hand. “Not yet. Please! Give Alex a chance.”
Duncan shook his head. “Sorry, Quinn. This is bigger than any of us.”
Alex didn’t need to bite Adrian for his killing instinct and strength to come to full force. It had been enough for Adrian to have even tried to lure Quinn into a trap. But drawing first blood gave him the boost to finish things—for good—as had the sight of Quinn being choked.
“You’re finished, Adrian. Dracul has sent you to your death.”
The guy hissed, bravado in the face of the certain outcome. “Dying for him is a greater honor than serving you ever was.”
Alex ignored the taunt and braced for the next assault. He let Adrian run right into him, pivoting at the last moment to slam his leg into the man’s midsection. The second Adrian doubled over, Alex wrapped his arm around his neck and sank his fangs into the jugular. The warm, sweet flow gave him power. As he sucked in Adrian’s life force, his muscles grew stronger, even as the body within his hold sagged. There was nothing more delicious and energizing than their own species’ blood. It had been centuries since he’d last tasted it and he hated how much he loved doing so now.
Adrian reached back to grab Alex by the crotch and squeezed hard enough to remind Alex that everyone was a danger until they drew their last breath. Grunting back his pain, he twisted Adrian’s head even farther to one side and tore out a chunk of his neck. Blood spurted out. He toppled them both to the ground and held his opponent there while the man’s still-beating heart drained out the rest of his life.
Slowly, Adrian’s body went slack. Alex freed his poor genitals from the motionless fingers but didn’t let go until there was no more pulse to feel and no more blood to drain. He stood carefully, getting his breath under control and fighting the urge to take the dead body apart anyway.
Something slammed into him. He went to grab it with lethal intent until he realized it was Quinn. The human had his arms wrapped around Alex’s waist and his face pressed against his chest.
“Dearest boy.” He tried to pry him off. “I’m covered in gore.”
Quinn held on even tighter and shook his head. “Don’t care.”
Alex smiled in spite of himself and hugged the slender, quaking body tightly. “Well, now, this makes it all worthwhile.” Quinn was shaking. “Are you crying?” When Quinn didn’t answer, he tugged the boy’s face to see for himself.
Tears streaked down Quinn’s cheeks. “I was afraid he was going to kill you.”
Alex swiped at the tears with his thumbs. “I would be affronted at your lack of confidence in me if your concern wasn’t so adorable.”
A frown settled over Quinn’s beautiful face, the only warning he got before the boy smacked him on his chest with sufficient force to sting. “It’s not funny.” More tears came, then, and a sob.
Alex pulled him back into the hug. “No, you’re right. It isn’t.” He glanced over the boy’s head at the man staggering toward him. “Ah, Sergeant Duncan. How are you?”
The cop stopped a few feet away, looking worse for the wear, yet alive. “I’ve called for back-up, so on the one hand, thanks for saving my life, but on the other hand, you’re under arrest.”
Quinn gasped and pulled away. “That’s not fair! Alex didn’t do anything wrong.”
Duncan swallowed hard, obviously in pain, and just as obviously scared shitless. Despite both, he held Alex’s gaze. “Yeah, I’m not sure about that. Fortunately, aliens are not my jurisdiction. Someone else can figure out guilt and innocence here.”
Alex arched his eyebrow at his boy. “Quinn?”
He winced. “Sorry. It came out in the heat of the moment.”
“I see. Well”—he smiled to show he wasn’t mad—“one way or the other, the cat was out of the bag, shall we say. Unfortunately, unless Quinn and Mackie are willing to testify about all this, you’re going to have a very strange and unbelievable tale to tell your fellow cops and the FBI, sergeant.”
Sirens sounded in the background, telling him that Duncan had indeed called for reinforcements and time was getting short.
Duncan straightened as much as his injuries would allow. He had to admire the man’s guts. “What the fuck, Stelalux? Anderson saw everything, too.”
“Alas, I don’t think so.” He tossed his head toward the pier area. “It appears Val was able to save him. You’re welcome for me saving you. But he looks to be unconscious. I don’t think he saw anything useful. And with his head being hit before he went into the water, his memory would be suspect, regardless.”
“Ah, fuck,” Duncan swore without much heat. He pointed at Quinn.
The boy shook his head and pressed closer to Alex’s side. “Sorry, sir. I’m not saying anything that will get Alex in trouble. He’s the good guy here.”
The cop closed his eyes briefly. “I have a body. An alien one, apparently.”
“Hmm, not so much, no.” Stepping to one side, he allowed the human a good view of where Adrian had fallen. There was little left other than the guy’s clothing, and soon every last trace of his biological material would be so much dust.
Alex wiped Adrian’s now-flaky remnants off his own face, then did the same to the parts of Quinn where bits had transferred when he’d pressed against Alex. He flicked the dry particles away, disgusted that any amount of Adrian had touched his boy. The wind did the rest. Duncan stared wide-eyed.
“It’s a quirk of our species that we disintegrate in minutes. Our ancient ancestors would have mixed the dust with spit and water and used it as mortar for our dwellings. It was both a good use of resources and a way of keeping our dear departed close.”
He gently pried Quinn’s arm off and went to kick at the decaying body, sending more particles into the air. “By the time your people arrive, there will be nothing except a pile of clothing and no DNA to analyze.”
Bending, he started bunching and tossing everything, as if someone had stripped. Giving Duncan a stern look, he continued, “My story is that a madman kidnapped one of my former employees and lured my lover into an ambush. I was too afraid to call in the FBI because he’d threatened to kill both boys if I did so. I have no idea how you and your partner managed to get here.”
Standing, he proceeded to scuff at the remainder of Adrian’s dust, scattering it and grinding it into the dirt. “After nearly killing one cop and overpowering another, he tore off his clothing and jumped into the water—in an effort to escape, perhaps. I don’t expect the body to be recovered, but as the killings will have stopped, a fair assumption will be that the killer drowned.”
“Motherfucker!” Duncan’s fury was understandable, yet there was nothing to be done about it. There was really only one loose end.
“Let me go!” Mackie’s plaintive demand floated over to them as Val carried the boy in their direction.
“Shut up.” Val’s tone was dispassionate to human ears, no doubt, but Alex heard the anguish behind it. It had only been rank that had allowed Alex to claim the right to kill Adrian and Val’s fury had almost overridden that.
Duncan bared his teeth as the realization dawned on him that he had one more hope. “We do have another witness.” The sirens were almost upon them. “Hey, kid, tell me what you saw.”
Sniffling, Mackie went from glaring at Val to blinking at Duncan. “I’m sorry, sir, what?”
“The guy who grabbed you… What was he like and what did you see happen here?”
“Um.” Mackie bit his lower lip and looked down at the arm he cradled in his lap. “He was scary, and he broke into my apartment and beat me. He broke my arm when I said I wouldn’t call Quinn, so I did because I was afraid.”
Val made a sharp noise in the back of his throat that caused Mackie to pause and blink at him.
“Sure,” Duncan prodded. “I get that. You had no choice. No one’s blaming you for that.”
“Of course, we’re not,” Alex agreed. “You are an innocent in all this. Re
st assured on that point.”
Mackie dropped his gaze. “Thanks, Alex. Anyway, that’s all I know.”
“No, that can’t be all.” Duncan was practically tearing his hair out, and now doors were slamming and there was shouting. “You saw this fight, right? I mean, you saw that these guys aren’t…”
“Aren’t what, sir?”
“Human.” Duncan glanced over his shoulder. “Over here. I’m Sergeant Duncan and my partner needs medical attention,” he added, pointing to the pier. Then he looked once more at Mackie.
The boy shrugged. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know what you mean.”
“Fuck! God-fucking-damn-it!” Duncan bent over as if his show of temper had hurt him.
Mackie shrunk back from the explosive words, curling closer to Val. Baring his teeth for a second at the cop, Val walked away in the direction of the cluster of people running toward them.
Duncan pointed his finger at Alex. “This isn’t over.”
“I understand, sergeant.” He watched the man stagger toward his fallen partner.
“Is it over, Alex?”
Pressing a kiss on the boy’s head, he gave an honest answer instead of the reassurance he knew the boy wanted. “No, my darling boy. This is only the beginning, I’m afraid.”
Chapter Fourteen
Wales
“Sir?”
Dracul waved a bored hand in the physician’s direction. “Yes, yes, I heard you. You’ve given my slut IV fluids. I need to fuck him less harshly and drink less of his blood.”
“If you want to get more sons from him, yes, sir.” The man licked his lips before continuing. “You might also consider letting him get out of bed. A bit of exercise and fresh air would do him some good.”
“Hmm. I suppose I could take him out, using his collar and leash. That might be entertaining. Would you like to go walkies, pet?” There was no response from the quivering mass lying on the bed. “No matter. I like the idea and that’s all that counts.”
The doctor opened his mouth, but a knock on the door made him shut it again.
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