Page 38 of Inhuman Natures #1

Before Shaun could ask how Rake and DJ had contacted Kit, Lynette spoke up. “So you do consider Rake and DJ to be yours, Shaun? That’s not what you told me the other night.”

There was nothing for it. He had to claim them, no matter how selfish it was to involve them. The risk of Lynette compelling them was too great. “They’re both mine, yes.”

“Do you intend to recreate them?” Lynette asked. It was, after all, the only accepted reason to tell a human about vampires. It was the only way to protect their small population.

“I, um—”

“He does,” Kit cut in. “They told me as much when I spoke to them.”

Shaun shot a frown Kit’s way. Shaun hadn’t spoken to Rake and DJ at all about the potential to create them as vampires.

For all he cared for them and knew they cared for him, it was too early in their relationship to be thinking about forever.

No matter what Shaun wanted, he needed to speak to them about it first.

Unlike him, Rake and DJ needed to choose their own fates.

Lynette hummed, but seemed to accept the explanation. “So what you’re saying is that Lawrence has, on several occasions, broken the rules we all abide by? Richard, you also attest to this claim?”

“Given the evidence, albeit anecdotal, I would say so,” Richard murmured through the phone.

“There is still no physical proof. Julia, whom Lawrence claimed Shaun was attempting to kill, had Shaun’s blood on her. She recalled seeing Shaun’s face when she was being moved from one location to another, but didn’t see Lawrence there at all,” Lynette summed up.

“I told you before! Lawrence attacked her and tried to compel me to kill her. I resisted and took her to the hospital. Yes, I attacked him, but only to defend Julia.” Shaun threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t keep repeating myself.”

“Sounds like Weston was planning on doing the same to Julia as he did to the humans here,” Richard said.

“He told me nobody would ever find her body,” Shaun confirmed.

“And we’ve both said Lawrence created us unlawfully,” Kit added. “That alone should be enough evidence to have you imprison him.”

Lynette gave a curt nod. “Thank you for your input, Richard. I’ll take it from here. You can assure your creations that the vampire who hurt their humans will be taken care of.”

“I appreciate that, Lynette.”

She hung up the phone. “Well. I suppose we ought to let you go, Shaun.”

“Don’t suppose you’re going to give him an apology to go along with his freedom?” Kit asked, very obviously pretending to study his nails for some non-existent flaw.

“You’re right. I apologise,” Lynette said, dipping her head. “To both of you, I should say. You’ve been treated terribly, and I shall seek to remedy that.”

“Taking care of Lawrence is the only way,” Shaun pointed out.

“If by ‘taking care’, you mean removing his head from his body, I agree,” Kit said.

“He’ll be remanded into custody and judged for his crimes,” Lynette said.

Kit made a disapproving noise. “Neither of us are the first he’s recreated.”

“He told me he killed others,” Shaun agreed. “Though, given Kit’s continued existence, I’m not sure what’s true.”

“I have no idea who they were,” Kit admitted. “But he mentioned he found it hard to handle them all at once. That’s why he started sticking to just one slave.”

“If he admits to killing them, it will only seal his fate,” Lynette said.

Shaun nodded, grateful. “I should go. I need to get to Rake and DJ.” He turned to Kit. “Are you coming with me?”

“We ought to stick together until Lawrence isn’t out there plotting our deaths,” Kit said mildly. “Safety in numbers and all that.”

“I’ve had one of my creations stationed outside their flat.” Lynette checked the phone for the time. “She’ll be there now that it’s sundown.”

“It’s night. I’m going to them,” Shaun said.

“I’ll tell her to bring them both here instead,” Lynette said in a tone that brooked no argument. Unlike when she’d been on the phone with Richard, she moved to take the call outside the room, Boris and Steve following her out.

Every fibre of Shaun’s being urged him to protest not being allowed to leave, but he capitulated to Lynette’s will.

He glanced sideways at Kit, who was chewing on his bottom lip. “Why did you say—” Before Shaun could ask why Kit had lied about Shaun’s claim over Rake and DJ, Kit ran up to him and put his hand over his mouth.

“Be quiet, you idiot. They’ll be listening,” Kit whispered into his ear, barely audible even at that tiny distance.

Shaun propelled Kit backwards. “They’re going to bring them here.”

Kit waved a dismissive hand. “It’ll be fine.”

“I get that you’re only here to get revenge on Lawrence, but you could’ve done so without fucking me over,” Shaun said, prodding a finger right in the centre of Kit’s chest .

Kit looked down at the offending finger, batting it away with the back of his hand. “You’re the one who got yourself into this situation. It’s not my problem.”

Shaun stood nose to nose with Kit. It struck him just how much of a type Lawrence had. Whilst Kit had dyed dark hair, and eyes that appeared so blue they were almost violet, he and Shaun were of the same height and stature. Both small, and slight, and young-looking.

Shaun laughed.

Kit reared back. “Have you lost it?” he asked. “Were the few days you spent in here enough to send you over the edge?” He spoke slowly, as if speaking to someone who was particularly dim-witted.

Shaun shook his head, smiling. “No. I just realised we look related.”

“If you squinted, maybe.”

“It’s just—” Shaun started, but then whipped his head around when Lynette burst back into the room.

“I have some news,” she said. “My creation heard a disturbance at Rake and DJ’s flat, but it was over before she was able to do anything about it. I’m not sure how it’s possible, but it seems Lawrence was inside the dwelling.”

It was like Shaun’s head had been pushed underwater. Lynette’s lips moved, but her words were no longer audible.

Shaun had heard enough, however. He sped towards the door past Lynette, faster than he’d ever run before. He was aware of a presence beside him as he ran, but his only focus was on getting to Rake and DJ as soon as possible.

The street was, as usual, quiet. Shaun registered a vampire waiting on the front step, but he didn’t stop. He sprinted upstairs and straight into the flat through the open door.

The smell of blood was so potent he felt like he was choking on it. He rushed into the living room, stopping short at the sight of Rake, bound to a chair, head bowed. The limpness of his limbs had Shaun frozen in horror.

Shaun couldn’t sense any other presence in the flat. There was nobody there but Rake.

Someone shouted his name from the stairwell, but Shaun didn’t respond.

Dried blood coated Rake’s torn-open neck, staining his skin red. He didn’t move. Not at all.

“Shaun! They’re alive!” This time, Shaun tuned in to Kit, the words penetrating his fugue state. “I can’t get into the flat,” Kit said. “That means whoever is in there, they’re not dead. Listen to their pulse, Shaun.”

Shaun took a few stumbling steps towards Rake, closing his eyes and listening.

Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud.

Faint, but present. Shaun opened his eyes. Rake was still unmoving, but it didn’t matter. Whatever had happened to him, he was alive . Shaun could save him.

He reached out, touching Rake’s face, lifting his head. It was a dead weight. Shaun ripped through the ties holding Rake to the chair and pulled the cloth gag from his mouth. With care, he lifted Rake and moved him into the hallway.

Kit watched from the front door. “You need to recreate him,” he said in a calm voice that belied his earth-shattering words.

Shaun looked down at Rake. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Kit asked. “Unless you plan on delaying any longer, in which case he’ll die before you get the chance.”

“He’s not going to—”

“Listen to his pulse!” Kit urged again, tone harsher this time.

Shaun listened.

Thud. Thud-thud. Thud.

Rake’s pulse was slowing. He was dying in Shaun’s arms.

Shaun looked helplessly at Kit. “I don’t know if he wants this. I don’t think I can—”

Kit bared his teeth at him, fangs extending. “Then give him to me. I’ll do it.”

Shaun felt like he had the first time another child had tried to steal one of his toys when in nursery school. He backed away from Kit, holding Rake close to him, almost exactly like how he’d cuddled that toy bear. “No,” he whispered.

“He’ll die if you don’t!” Kit hissed.

Shaun couldn’t face the idea of an existence without Rake. He’d only just got him: losing him so fast wasn’t an option.

“I’m going to do it,” Shaun said. He moved into the bedroom, laying Rake down on the bed. He bit Rake’s neck on the opposite side of the existing bites, and at the same time, used his claws to cut into his own wrist, forcing it over Rake’s mouth.

He shouldn’t have insisted on doing it himself. The only time he’d experienced a recreation, it had been his own. He knew how it worked in theory, not in practice. But it was instinctual to give Rake his blood whilst he drained the last of Rake’s mortal life out through his veins.

There were a few terrifying moments where Shaun thought he had been too late.

But then he felt the slightest pressure on his wrist. Shaun threw his head back as Rake began to pull blood from his veins.

It was so different from when Lawrence had forced himself on Shaun.

This was almost euphoric. He was giving life to Rake, saving him.

Recreating him.

Shaun pressed himself closer to Rake, needing the contact. Rake’s cold body heated, but Shaun knew his blood alone would never give him true warmth. Rake would need to feed from others too, and soon.

He knew the moment that Rake’s recreation settled, as Kit appeared in the bedroom. Shaun wouldn’t be forgetting his expression any time soon. He just couldn’t figure out why Kit looked so desolate until he spoke.

“If I’m able to get into the flat, it means that DJ…” Kit trailed off, clearly unwilling to finish the explanation.

Shaun’s eyes grew wet. He could hardly see Kit or Rake any more through the haze of red. “No,” he choked out. “Not DJ. He can’t be.”

“We’ll know for sure soon enough. Rake’s waking up.”

As Rake stirred, Shaun could only hope that he wouldn’t hate him for taking his choice away.