Page 20 of Bullets and Blood (Hunting Hearts #1)

Chapter Seventeen

Lance stared up at the red sky, his head in Nix’s lap and Nix’s fingers threaded through his hair. Nix’s nose was burned, and his legs dangled over the edge of the cliff, but he didn’t seem to care. One careless move, and they both went over the edge. As long as Lance didn’t look down, he was fine.

It had taken two hours for Scott to call him and tell him Nix had used his card at the camping store and that he’d taken out a wad of cash from an ATM.

Lance knew because he’d been standing there at the time.

Nix had been with him during the call, and Lance had played his part, surmising that Nix knew they were closing in and was running.

If he went bush, they’d never get him. That had resulted in a stern warning that Lance had better not come home empty-handed.

He’d been tempted to say he was never coming home. But he’d held his tongue.

Nix took a sip of wine. His open shirt fluttered in the breeze. His own shirt was somewhere on the grass behind Nix, and the top button of his pants was still undone. The picnic had been forgotten halfway through the eating.

Lance took the glass out of Nix’s hand and had a sip. “What are you pondering?”

“Nothing.”

“You look like you’re pondering.” There was a distance in Nix’s eyes that had nothing to do with the way he watched the horizon.

Nix rolled his eyes. “That I could launch us both off the cliff.”

His heart lurched. That hadn’t been what Lance had been expecting. He sat up, back to the setting sun, and put his arm around Nix as though he could keep him from being reckless. “I’d die.”

Which would solve all of his problems. Who didn’t imagine what it would be like to jump?

That was the reason so many people stood well back, in case the thought became an urge they couldn’t resist. He risked a glance over his shoulder to look down at the rocks below and the waves crashing against them.

Nix placed a kiss on his cheek, and Lance turned his head to take more. “So would I. If I was lucky, I’d break my neck and sever my spinal column, and that would be that. Most likely, I’d break bones, and I’d starve to almost death until someone found me and fed me blood.”

“Or they’d think you dead and bury you alive.” His aunt had done that to at least one blooded vampire who’d crossed her. Their body would be in hibernation until they were eventually dug up and fed. How long had it taken them to stop screaming after the final nail was hammered in?

“Thanks for the new nightmare.” Nix took back the wine and finished the glass. He licked his lip. “I need to ask you this...”

“And I’m not going to like it.”

Nix shook his head. “Promise me that if you have to take me in, if we end up with no other options, you make sure I’m properly dead. You’ll get your fangs, but I won’t get the pain. Please.”

Lance kissed Nix’s shoulder. “You really need to stop thinking of ways to die.”

“I can’t unless you’re distracting me, tricking me into thinking there might be a chance.”

“Is it working?”

“Sometimes.” Nix smiled, but it was a small and sad thing.

Lance wanted to see his grin again. “Then I’ll do a better job of it.”

Lance moved behind Nix and kissed his way along his shoulder and up his neck to his pulse. For a heartbeat, the urge to bite filled him as though his body knew what it should be. Nix jerked away as though stung.

“I thought vampires like to be bitten.”

“I don’t.”

“Should I ask why?” The sun spread gold on the ocean. He didn’t want the truce to end. They couldn’t go back to being blood enemies. They couldn’t remain lovers. He didn’t know what would happen in nine days. “There is no choice in my family. It happens no matter how much you argue.”

Lance swept Nix’s hair aside and kissed the back of his neck. “You would’ve remained unblooded if given a choice?”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “You’re still human. You can buy a new ID, walk away, and have a life.”

“That’s not what happens. No one walks away in my family.” Lance’s hand snuck around Nix’s waist until his fingers brushed Nix’s stiffening dick. “My aunt finds uses for everyone, not all of them pleasant.”

“Run with me, we’ll find Zinnia, and she can blood you.”

Lance closed his eyes, wanting to believe that was even possible.

Nix turned and kissed him as though desperate. “Yes?”

“Is that a plan or dream?” It was better than dying, wasn’t it?

“It could be both.”