Page 50 of Inhuman Natures #1

DJ

“What are we going to do?” DJ asked. He needed someone to tell him, because he had no idea.

Kit appeared in the doorway. “I’m going to get us some food. I need blood, and so do all of you.”

“Will you be all right on your own?” Shaun asked.

Kit gave a mirthless laugh. “Always am.”

DJ wanted to offer his help, but a groan from Shaun distracted him. “What’s wrong?”

Shaun lifted DJ’s borrowed hoodie up, revealing a wound that had torn away half of his belly. DJ sucked in a breath.

“Fucking hell, Shaun,” Rake said, crouching in front of him. “I didn’t realise it was that bad.”

“I’m pretty sure some of my guts are lying in the hall,” Shaun said. “Probably don’t need them, though.”

“If your insides are, uh, outside, how does that work for the healing process?” DJ asked.

Shaun shrugged, pain flashing over his features. “I suppose we’ll see.”

“I could go get them…” DJ said, trailing off when the idea of picking up Shaun’s literal guts made him want to puke .

“And what? Shove them back up in there and hope for the best?”

DJ retched for real this time.

“Blood will help,” Rake said.

“Yes,” Shaun confirmed. “But until Kit comes back, can we cuddle on the couch?”

They stayed there, the three of them intertwined, until Kit came back in with a couple of twenty-something women in tow. “Dinner is served,” he said.

The women didn’t react to the pronouncement. DJ’s fangs ached at the prospect of drinking.

“Come here,” Shaun said, and DJ detected the compulsion in his voice. One woman stepped forward, stopping in front of Shaun. He reached out to grasp one of her hands, taking her wrist into his mouth. DJ stood and went for her throat.

“Watch his consumption, Shaun,” Kit warned.

“I can watch myself,” DJ mumbled into the woman’s neck.

“Sure,” Kit said dismissively. “I’ll be looking forward to seeing that.”

Kit was proved right when, after what DJ thought was only a few seconds, Shaun stopped him. “We’ll take too much,” he explained, grabbing DJ’s hand.

“But it’s tasty and I’m famished,” DJ moaned.

“Have a small amount from mine,” Kit offered. “She can stand to have a bit more taken.”

DJ didn’t need telling twice. He walked over and bit into the other woman’s neck with gusto.

Kit stopped him this time, reaching up to lay a hand on his shoulder and pulling him away, before making quick work of compelling the women to leave.

DJ listened to his words with interest, remembering them for when he would have to do the same.

“Now Rake can feed from you, DJ,” Shaun said. “I need the blood to help heal my stomach.” He gave an apologetic look at Rake, who shook his head.

“Don’t be sorry,” Rake said, rubbing at the back of his head. “Though my skull might still be cracked.”

“You never said!” DJ cried, going over and cradling Rake’s face to stop him from jostling the injury any more.

“Ow,” Rake said, inflectionless.

“Feed from me,” DJ demanded, thrusting his wrist into Rake’s face.

Rake grabbed DJ around the waist and pulled him on top of him instead, threading his fingers through his hair and tilting DJ’s head back to expose his throat. DJ fisted his hands into Rake’s sweatshirt as Rake bit into his neck.

It wasn’t like being bitten by Lawrence, and nor was it the same as being bitten by Shaun.

Shaun’s bite had been more tentative; somewhat teasing.

Being bitten by Rake was like being devoured.

Like Rake tasted DJ’s soul with every suck.

He felt Rake’s desperate hunger for him, his desire and want.

His need . Pure need right to the core. DJ let out a happy sigh as Rake drank from him, catching Shaun’s eye from where he sat watching them.

DJ threw a hand out to Shaun, beckoning him over. Shaun pressed up close to Rake’s side. DJ never wanted Shaun to be on the outside any more. He wanted it to be the three of them. He couldn’t imagine life—or death—without both of them by his side.

When they made it back to their flat, the first order of business was to get themselves clean.

Kit insisted he didn’t want to hear a repeat of the previous night, so, to DJ’s disappointment, they took turns in the bathroom.

Once dressed, they ended up in the living room, DJ pestering Rake and Shaun for the dirty details of their shower antics.

“I’m going back to Scotland,” Kit announced, cutting Shaun off before he could tell the story. “Tomorrow, seeing as it’s almost sunrise. I’ll kip on the sofa if that’s all right with you.”

“Well, you’re not getting an invitation to the bed,” Rake said.

Kit wrinkled his nose. “Wasn’t vying for it.”

Rake opened his laptop. “We’ve been ignoring everyone,” he said to DJ.

The Gaymers group chat had almost a hundred unread messages in it.

DJ gave them a quick scan, seeing that Van, David and Sophie had been spamming it to ask why neither of them had turned up to work.

Their managers hadn’t bothered to contact them.

At least their incompetence had made their lives easier this one time.

“Wait, what day is it right now? Tuesday? Wednesday?” DJ asked, reaching for his pocket before remembering Lawrence had crushed his phone. “I suppose we ought to put in our notices.”

“Right,” Rake agreed. “But…” He trailed off, his brow furrowing so severely that it formed deep lines on his forehead.

“What?” DJ asked.

“What are we going to tell your parents?”

“My… what? ”

His parents .

Rake made a distressed noise in the back of his throat and Shaun’s eyes went wide with concern. Kit conspicuously left the room.

DJ swallowed around a lump in his throat and addressed Shaun. “What can I tell them?”

Shaun’s mouth pressed into a line before he spoke. “Not that you’re a vampire, unless you plan on recreating them both.”

The thought of that was so odd it made DJ laugh, high-pitched and frantic. “No. I can’t do that.”

“Then lie, lie, and lie again,” Shaun said. “You won’t age. You can’t eat food, or go out into the sunlight. We’re being thrown out of the city. We don’t have many options here.”

“Shit.”

“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” Shaun said.

DJ gave him a stern look. “No, it’s not! I might have stumbled into the whole”—he flapped his hands around—“supernatural thing, but I put myself in your path. And I’m glad I did.”

“I have no regrets,” Rake agreed.

“You’re both too good for me,” Shaun said.

“I mean this in the nicest of ways, but fuck that,” DJ said. He pointed at Rake without looking at him. “Don’t you dare reprimand me for my language.”

“Wasn’t going to,” Rake huffed. He definitely had been going to.

DJ gazed into Shaun’s eyes. “You survived Lawrence. You’re so strong.

I don’t think many people are capable of going through what you have and coming out the other end with so much capacity for kindness.

You’re sweet and fun and beautiful and loyal.

We’re not too good for you. I’d like to think we’re just right for you. Like the Goldilocks of boyfriends.”

“That was super heartfelt until you added the kinda incorrect fairy tale reference,” Shaun said through a bashful grin.

“How haven’t you grasped by now that pop culture references are my thing?”

“I’m well aware.”

DJ’s smile faltered when he thought again about having to deal with the issue with his parents.

“Will I still be able to see my parents at all? What if my mum tries to feed me?” He turned to Rake.

“She’ll try to feed me! And my dad will want to take me to the football, or to the pub.

Oh my god. Can I not drink alcohol any more? I’ll never get drunk again!”

“You’re panicking,” Rake said.

“Yes, I’m panicking! I think I have every right to be panicking. You would be too, if you were in my position.” The words left his mouth before he’d even realised what he’d said, and Rake’s face fell. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he rushed to add, but the damage was done.

“I get it. You’re close to your family. I’m not.” Rake’s voice was a monotone. He pretended nothing got to him, but DJ knew it still hurt.

“I’m sorry.”

Rake kissed him on the forehead. “Forgiven.”

“If it helps,” Shaun said, “my parents never found out what truly happened to me and think I’m dead.”

“What is it with you and giving us the least helpful information ever?” DJ asked gently. “That broke my heart a little bit.”

“Ah. I just meant that you can speak to your parents. Plan it out. Keep a relationship with them to an extent. You don’t need to just disappear.”

“Until it becomes very obvious none of us are ageing.”

“You and Rake can get away with appearing the same for another decade or so, I’m sure.”

“But will that fly for you? You barely look twenty, let alone thirty. Nobody is gonna believe that.”

Shaun stared at him for a long moment. “That doesn’t matter. Your parents only know Rake. I’m not part of this discussion.”

“No, you’re going to meet my parents,” DJ insisted.

“For—What? Why?” Shaun looked at Rake, as if he might back him up. DJ caught Rake’s eye and tried to not-so-subtly tell him to repeat what he said.

“If I had to meet Tom and Femi as his boyfriend, so do you,” Rake confirmed with a decisive nod.

Despite that not being the exact way DJ would have framed it, he was glad of the backup. “It’s settled then. You’ll meet my parents.”

“I’ve never had to do that before.” Shaun looked like he was being sent to the gallows, not being invited to meet a painfully middle-class couple in their fifties who lived in Worthing.

“It’ll be fine,” DJ said. He even sort of believed his own words.

They said goodbye to Kit shortly after sundown the following night. DJ asked him to keep in touch, but could tell Kit was antsy about making any such promises. After a few too many thank-yous on their end, Kit rushed off without a backwards look.

“Maybe one day he’ll stop running,” Rake said.

Shaun stared down the empty street for a long moment. “For his sake, I hope so.”