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CHAPTER NINE

FINN

“Marcus! Tell your horse to share!” Claude cries as Marcus’s new horse pins his ears any time Alexei’s horse tries to go for his hay.

“I’m confused. Aren’t there multiple piles of hay for them to eat?” I ask. “Why does he have to eat the same hay Alexei’s horse is eating?”

“Because he’s like Claude,” Alexei determines. “He gets pure enjoyment out of harassing others.”

“But hon! I don’t harass anyone!” Claude says. “Finn, tell them they’re being mean to me.”

I hurry over to Claude and give him a hug. “I love your harassment.”

“Thank you!” he says, and he squeezes me back and even kisses the side of my head. “Wait… no! You were supposed to declare that I don’t harass people.”

“But if I love it, it makes it all better,” I assure him.

He scoops me up for some reason and hugs me to him. “Alexei, can we keep him? He’s just so delightful.”

“No, put him back. We have to let him stand on his own two feet and grow up someday.”

“Grow up? Dammit, it’s just because you guys are all tall and shit. Or…”

“Don’t say it,” Alexei warns.

I’m grinning manically, loving the fact that he doesn’t want me to say anything. “Orrrrrr…”

“I’m never talking to you again if you say it,” Alexei threatens.

“Sounds like a win,” Marcus says. “Definitely say it.”

“Orrrrr are you saying I’m only half a man because I don’t have an arm and a leg?” I ask.

“And he said it,” Alexei mutters.

I grin, very much pleased with myself. “Well, it’s cold out here, so I’m heading in. Don’t want to freeze off the remaining limbs, you know?” I decide, leaving them to it.

Inside, I curl up on the couch as Artie, our Irish wolfhound, and Hela, the teeny mutt, curl up on top of me. Artie likes it best when he crushes my body, but I can never move him because whenever I try, he gives me the saddest look and I am the biggest sucker.

I open a book and start to read before realizing that it’s been quite a while since I left the others and Marcus hasn’t returned. “Do you think they got lost?” I ask the dogs, even though the house is right next door.

Artie doesn’t care enough to get up, so I slide out from under him and peek outside.

The lights are off in the barn that Claude made workers build in an astoundingly short time.

While the interior isn’t quite finished, the temporary stalls are up and it’s enough to house the horses if the weather is too bad for them to be outside.

I stuff my feet in my shoes and Hella and Artie join me on my jog over to Claude’s house, which is right next door. I don’t even bother knocking since I’ve been told not to… I mean, I guess it’s quite apparent I’m here when the vampires can likely hear me long before I reach the door.

The dogs head inside with me as I discover that it’s rather cold in here.

“What’s going on? And why’s it so cold?” I ask.

“Our furnace went out,” Claude says as Alexei fixes up a little heater aimed near the pipes. “Marcus tried to help.”

There’s so much emphasis on “tried” that I immediately reach for the furnace room door, but Marcus quickly sets his hand against it.

“It’s dangerous, you don’t need to go in there,” he informs me.

“It’s… dangerous? Like did the furnace turn carnivorous or something?” I tug at the doorknob for all I’m worth, but Marcus simply has a finger pressed against the door, keeping it shut. “Artie, attack!”

Artie, having no idea what’s going on but pleased to be included, bounds over to see what’s happening. I use the distraction to open the door and look at the way the furnace is hanging at an odd angle.

“Oh wow, Marcus. Your assistance was certainly unforgettable,” I say.

“Claude told me to jimmy it while Alexei gave it a kick… it really was a joint effort.”

“It was dead before Marcus got his hands on it,” Alexei assures me. “We have a new one coming but not until tomorrow.”

“We’re going to have to stay at your place tonight,” Claude says. “It’s much too cold in here for us.”

“Aren’t… you… vampires?” I ask.

“I think if we all sleep on our sides in spoon position, we’ll fit just fine,” Claude says, ignoring my comment. “Marcus and I used to snuggle all the time. It was so cute how he’d just hold me tight and tell me everything was going to be okay. Aw, little Marcus was the cutest.”

“That does sound super sweet and cute,” I agree.

“You can sleep on the couch,” Marcus says, clearly no longer sweet enough to hug his brother to him.

“Do I get the bed?” Alexei asks.

“You guys can just stack on the couch,” Marcus decides. “Or you could just sleep in your house.”

“My cat will get cold,” Alexei says. “Otherwise I would sleep here.” Then he scoops the cat up and heads for the door like the decision has been made.

Claude reaches for Alexei. “Hon, do you think my clothes will get cold? Do you think we should put a heater in there?”

“Yes, I’d definitely pull a heater away from the necessary areas and put it in your room with clothes that I’ve seen you wear outside in the winter ,” Alexei says.

“You’re right!”

“It was a joke,” Alexei says before muttering something under his breath.

“He just said he loves my clothes,” Claude announces.

“I’m pretty sure I heard him say that he hopes you put the heater so close to your clothes that they all burn up so you can get a new normal wardrobe,” Marcus says.

Alexei smirks. “I didn’t say that but now I’m questioning why I didn’t.”

“But my zebra striped jogging suit! I thought you said it was sexy!”

“I’ve never seen you jog, but you’re right, I love you in anything you wear so we must protect them. But solnyshko , I really do think they can brave the weather. Let’s go. The quicker we get to their house, the better chance of snagging optimal sleeping positions.”

“Ooh, you’re right,” Claude says and off they go, leaving us alone in their house.

Marcus looks around before eyeing me. “You positive you don’t want to stay here?”

“I would freeze to death! You can stay, I really don’t mind being spooned by Alexei and Claude,” I tell him with an evil grin.

Marcus’s eyebrows lift as he stares at me, so I lean forward and give him a kiss, which makes him immediately forget what I said.

By the time we get back to our house, Claude is already popping popcorn and Alexei is finding a movie.

“I want something with blood in it,” Alexei decides.

“Like… in the popcorn? You want to suck the blood out of it?”

“In the movie.”

“Ahhh, makes more sense. Alexei, my dear, do you want to sit on my lap, and I’ll sit on Marcus’s lap so we all fit on the couch?” Claude asks since Artie has made himself a spot on the couch next to Alexei.

“Nothing would make me happier,” Alexei deadpans.

“Where do I go?” I ask as I think about this arrangement of stacked vampires.

“You’re like the little angel on top,” Claude says. “Come now, Marcus. We need you first.”

Marcus simply picks up Artie and deposits him on the dog bed that the dog is reluctant to use and then drags the recliner over so it’s facing the TV. Honestly, it’s quite boring compared to what it could have been.

The beeping of multiple phones wakes me up.

I groggily reach over to grab mine so I can see what it is, and instead, smack Claude in the face.

True to his word, he managed to cram us all in the bed, leaving no room for Marcus who slept on the couch.

After Marcus was gone, Claude confided in me that he’d done all of it to pester him…

except that when Marcus easily caved, he realized this bed was quite comfortable and immediately fell asleep.

I smack around on Claude long enough that he wakes up enough to hand me my phone as Alexei goes, “It’s Brooks.”

“What’s he want?” I mumble as I read it myself. He only put an address and a “Now.”

The lights go on and I cry out in despair at the assault my eyes are going through.

“Marcus, why ?” I whine as I shield my eyes.

“Did you not read the text or were you too busy spooning my brother?”

“Does it look like any of us are comfortable?” I ask as I glance at the dogs piled on us.

Marcus grins and gives Artie a belly rub, which results in Artie kicking Claude. Claude just grunts.

I sit up and reach for my prostheses that I’d talked myself into removing last night.

Not that long ago, I would have refused to do so, but between Marcus and being stuck without them for extended periods of time, I’ve learned that I don’t have to have them on to feel complete.

And that I’m safe surrounded by the people I love who I know would protect me no matter what.

“Just borrow clothes from us to save time,” I tell them.

Claude’s eyes go wide. “Oh… honey… no.”

“You will survive,” Alexei says.

“But…” Claude opens the closet and looks at Marcus’s clothes. “I will look hideous.”

“Excuse me?” Marcus growls. “You will look hideous because you’re wearing my clothes?”

“I sure will. Where’s the joy? The color? The prints?”

“Pick something and let’s go,” I say since the rest of us are nearly dressed.

“It hurts, Finn.” Claude is literally cringing away just from the gentle touch of the fabric of a dark blue shirt.

“We’re leaving you,” I warn him.

“Dammit,” he whines as he pulls on the blue button-up and black pants. It is quite shocking to see him in something so plain. “It hurts. My body feels ill. Every inch of me is on fire.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Alexei assures him. “You look very nice.”

“Thank you, lovely. I know you’re just saying that to make me feel better. I really do appreciate it.” Claude isn’t quite so sure but follows us out to the car as we head for the address we’ve been given, which turns out to be a hotel.

There are police cars out front, so we hurry inside where Brooks meets us in the lobby. “This way.”

“What happened?” Marcus asks.

“Multiple vampires are dead. They must have attacked Mads, because most of the incident happened in his room and he’s missing.”

“Oh shit…” I say as we ride the elevator up to that floor.