Page 26 of Missing Piece (Neon Scars #2)

V incent dabbed at the blood around Adam’s nose with a washcloth while trying to ignore the primal pull to get up and break something in his own house.

His beast was just as angry as he was, but Adam sat hunched on his coffee table, shirtless and shaking as he stared down at his own bloody hands.

Vincent was sure that more violence might shatter him completely.

And finally, after all his agonizing over the last ten days, Vincent could admit to himself he didn’t want to break him.

That became crystal clear the moment he broke down his neighbor’s door and found the vampire he left for dead in a cornfield beating Adam’s face to a pulp.

Vincent hadn’t experienced that kind of panic in years.

Adam wasn’t a small human by any means, but in that moment, pinned to the ground and stabbing at Beth wildly, he looked so frail and weak.

Vincent was barely able to stop himself from continuing to hack away at the former dancer’s body even after he cut her head off with Ophelia’s axe.

He didn’t want to break Adam. He just wanted him.

Luka pulled a chair up behind the injured man, setting down an old bank box filled with medical supplies. Adam peeked over his shoulder, eyeing the box. “What’s he going to do?” he asked quietly, as though his mind were somewhere else and only vaguely aware of what was happening.

?He needs stitches,? Luka signed quickly before continuing to pull vials out of the box.

“The injuries on your back need stitches,” Vincent said, continuing to wipe the blood from Adam’s face to get a better look at the damage.

His right eye was swollen, the white of it blood red with burst vessels, and his lower lip was split in two places.

The skin on the bridge of his nose had split, but when Vincent went to clean the wound, Adam didn’t flinch, so it probably wasn’t broken.

I’d kill that bitch again if I had the chance, Vincent thought. Luka snapped his fingers while holding up one of the vials, mouthing “OK?”

Lidocaine. That could at least make the stitching process less unpleasant for Adam.

He already insisted the entire trip back that he just needed some vodka and ibuprofen and sleep.

It surprised Vincent how quiet the man was despite how badly he was injured.

He would have thought that an addict would jump on a legitimate excuse to go back to his drug of choice, but despite the impression Adam first gave him, it seemed he was serious about staying clean.

He was much stronger than he seemed.

Vincent nodded at Luka before looking back at the battered face. “He’s going to numb your back. It’s just lidocaine, nothing stronger.”

Adam nodded, his eyes still looking distant.

He was definitely still in shock. It was understandable.

Only ten days after knowing vampires existed, being attacked by two of them in a house more suited for a B-list movie set than a place where a nice old couple used to live.

And then there was the matter of the child…

Just thinking about it made his chest tight.

Not the gruesome scene of Ophelia cutting the poor thing’s head off, thought that was more of a mercy, even if his niece was swearing under her breath about “no one being allowed to bite her” as she dealt the final blow.

What twisted his gut was the fact that the poor boy had been turned in the first place.

There were just some lines his people did not cross.

“Take my hands,” Vincent said as Luka filled a syringe with the lidocaine.

Adam hesitated, lips parting as if to speak, but a shadow seemed to fall over him as that distant look returned.

Hug him. Give him comfort. Vincent pushed the thought away. Even if he wanted to, the young man was in pain. In shock and vulnerable. It didn’t seem right.

The injured man grunted and grabbed Vincent’s hands, bowing his head as Luka began to work on his back.

Vincent bit down on his lower lip, surprised by how strong Adam’s grip still was despite the recent exertion, but also to keep his transformed features from emerging.

The air reeked of blood and sweat and adrenaline, and in any other circumstance, Vincent would have allowed himself to enjoy the heavy scent.

But the human whimpered, and the steel cage he had built around his heart was beginning to lose its integrity.

“It’ll be okay, just give it a moment,” Vincent whispered while watching Luka press the tip of the syringe near the other gaping gash.

Luka flashed him a gentle smile and held up two fingers.

“Two more injections. Then it’ll start to go numb. ”

Adam nodded, peering up through his bangs. “It’s like being stung by the biggest fucking bee on the planet,” he said through clenched teeth.

“I’ve never been stung by a bee, so I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“How have you never been stung by a bee?” Adam winced as Luka poked at his back again. “You’re super old, aren’t you?”

Vincent smiled. “I’m not that old.”

Adam squeezed Vincent’s hands again as Luka delivered the final shot to his back.

“Fucking hell, that hurts.” He took a moment, just breathing in and out of his nose before he seemed able to lift his head again.

Some of the steel was back in his expression, his chin held high, like he was too proud to admit he was in pain. “Is she okay? Ophelia?”

“She’ll be fine, she’s tougher than she looks.

” But her father is going to kick my ass the next time he sees me.

He’d deserve it too, especially when Marcus inevitably discovered the bite wound on her side she had super-glued shut in an attempt to hide the scent of her blood before Petrov volunteered to take her back home.

He shouldn’t have let her even spend the night, but it had been a while since she got to see all four of them outside of work, and as much as he hated admitting it, he missed her.

She wasn’t an affectionate child, but she was good company and he had grown accustomed to having her around.

“I’m so tired,” Adam mumbled.

Vincent leaned forward. “Put your head on my shoulder, Luka won’t take too long.” Without another word, Adam placed his forehead against Vincent’s shoulder, still holding both of his hands, though his grip had relaxed.

A warm tingle spread through Vincent’s body.

He wasn’t expecting Adam to do it so quickly or willingly.

And even through the blood and the rot sticking on his skin from that house, he smelled so fucking good.

Vincent shut his eyes, trying to fight the warmth as it burrowed through him and melted away his lingering anger and calmed the beast. This was everything he wanted.

The closeness, the unrelenting warmth of a human body against him, the silent simplicity of the situation.

Adam was everything.

* * *

“Do you need another blanket?” Vincent asked while pulling the blanket up to cover Adam’s exposed back.

The human laid flat on his stomach in bed, arms at his side as though he were trying to move as little as possible.

Even with the tingling warmth still buzzing through his body, part of him wondered if it had been a mistake to carry Adam up to his bedroom, but he felt uneasy not being able to keep watch over him.

And even if he had convinced himself to let Adam recover alone, he was certain his beast would pick a fight.

Plus he really liked the thought of just lying there with Adam, just able to stare at his face while he slept and stroke his hair as he had done every night since taking the young man into his house, without the prying eyes of the brothers wondering why he slipped into the spare room again.

He still couldn’t figure out why he was doing that.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“I can stop if it bothers you.” Vincent stuffed his hands in his pockets, bristling at the question. How could he answer that? He didn’t even know why. But then he remembered what Luka said. Stop looking for the why. Just let it be what it is.

“No,” Adam said quickly, shaking his head. Fear flashed across his face without a hint of the calm and cool machismo he usually displayed. “I just…this is all so fucked up man. I don’t understand why this is happening.”

Vincent sat down on the other side of the bed, trying to figure out where to start in a way that wasn’t overwhelming.

“I seem to have pissed off the wrong people,” he said, sitting back against the headboard and kicking his feet up onto the bed.

He half expected Adam to say something to him for being so close, but the wounded human relaxed a little, tracing his finger on the seam of the pillowcase.

“Vampires tend to be territorial, and normally we don’t intrude in each other’s towns, but we’ve integrated a little too well with this population. Some others are trying to move in.”

“How many of you live here?” Adam asked while resting his head back on the pillow, still looking up at Vincent.

Something vibrated in his gut at the sight.

Looking past the injuries on his face, those green eyes gazing up at him flooded his body with heat.

Those same eyes already boiled his blood once while looking down at him when Vincent had his cock in his mouth, but now they were looking up at him and filling his mind with different ideas.

Now is not the time to get horny. What is wrong with you?

“Twenty.”

“Fuck.”

Vincent chuckled, absentmindedly reaching out to brush the dark bangs away from Adam’s forehead again.

He really did have such a lovely face, oddly tired looking and a bit gaunt.

He hadn’t even found Adam attractive when he first saw him, but the more he saw that face, the more he craved the sight of it.

Asleep, awake, angry, sarcastic. It didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that he got to look at him.