Page 5 of Patrick’s Seduction (Scanguards Vampires #19)

5

P atrick downed the blood in one big gulp and set the glass down on the bar, nodding at the vampire bartender who was on duty in the V Lounge, the large room on the ground floor of Scanguards HQ, where vampires and vampire hybrids could relax in between their shifts and drink blood. Like in a regular pub, there was a multitude of taps—though they dispensed blood sorted by blood group rather than beer. This was a service free of charge for any employee or visiting vampire to discourage them from drinking blood directly from humans.

Of course, not everybody partook of the free blood. All vampires blood-bonded to a human never touched the stuff, because they could only drink from their blood-bonded mate. All other blood would make them sick and eventually kill them. And then there were those vampires who had never gotten used to the bottled blood, and preferred to drink directly from the source—from a living, breathing human.

“Another one, Todd,” Patrick said, pointing to the empty glass.

“Stressed?” Todd asked with an understanding glance.

“Do I look it?” he deflected.

He’d been burning the candle at both ends, working double shifts since his parents had left for their dream vacation. At most, he got three or four hours of sleep in a twenty-four-hour period. To make up for the lack of sleep, he drank more blood than usual, feeding up to three times daily, when normally, he only needed one meal a day.

Todd shrugged while taking back the empty glass. “Just figured with you running the show here, you must be exhausted.”

Before Patrick could answer, he heard somebody approaching.

“There you are,” Anita said. “I was looking for you.”

Patrick turned to her. “Hey, Anita. Any news?”

“Didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner,” Anita said, tipping her chin toward the bar, where Todd was filling the glass.

For a human, Anita wasn’t squeamish about blood at all. There were two reasons for it: she was a police officer who’d seen her fair share of blood at crime scenes, and she was blood-bonded to his friend Cooper, a vampire hybrid, which meant that Cooper was drinking her blood at least once a day. At that thought, Patrick felt a twitch of envy travel up from his belly. The idea of feeding from a woman he loved was something he’d never experienced, although he’d bitten women before. He could only imagine the high Cooper experienced from this intimate act, drinking from his soulmate while making love to her.

“You’re not interrupting.” He approached Anita. “Did you get my update on what Buffy found during the autopsy?”

“You mean what she didn’t find? Yeah, got your message. But it’s not about that. At least not directly. A case just dropped in my lap.”

Patrick listened up. “And you think it might be connected to the murder in the Presidio?”

“It’s possible.”

“A physical assault?”

Anita shook her head. “No, a stalker.”

Somewhat disappointed, Patrick said, “Give me the gist of it.”

“This female doctor, Fallon Doyle, came to the station today to ask for a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend. He won’t leave her in peace. He’s threatening her.”

“Verbally?” Patrick interrupted.

“Yes, but I get the feeling that he’s capable of violence. She doesn’t feel safe.”

“Well, that alone isn’t really much. Any guy who got dumped might try to get her back. That in itself doesn’t mean that he’ll get violent.”

“True, but the things he said to her…” Anita shook her head. “You know how vampires get when they fall for a woman?”

“Meaning?”

Anita rolled her eyes. “They get all possessive and territorial. I got that same vibe when I talked to Fallon. He said to her that she’s his . No human talks like that.”

“You think he’s not human?”

“Not the way he’s talking.”

“Did you ask her the right questions to find out whether she’s seen him outside during daylight hours?”

“Yes, and he was outside at daylight with her—”

“Then he can’t be a vampire.”

“He can still be a hybrid like you,” Anita countered.

She was right. But there wasn’t much to this case. Just a verbal threat. No violence—yet.

Patrick sighed. “I really don’t see that this case rises to the level where we should get involved. If we had to protect every woman whose ex-boyfriend is still obsessed with her, we’d never be able to do the work we’re hired for.”

“Scanguards’ mission is to protect the innocent,” Anita stated.

Patrick ran a hand through his thick dark hair. “And that’s what we’re doing. But with everything that’s going on, the jewelers’ convention, and the murder in the Presidio, I don’t see how we can spare somebody to protect this doctor. I’m sorry.”

Anita braced her hands on her hips. “Then maybe you should tell her that yourself. Because I don’t have the heart to tell this woman that we don’t believe that her ex is capable of hurting her. I don’t wanna get a call in a few days that she’s been hurt, and have to regret that I didn’t fight harder to get her the protection she needs.”

“Damn it, Anita! Maybe you can talk Cooper into anything you want him to do, ‘cause he’s clearly pussy-whipped, but I’ve got a company to run. I have to use our resources where they have the most impact, and right now, that means I have to find the Presidio killer before he strikes again. Because I don’t wanna get another call about a second body with the heart ripped out.”

Anita shot him an annoyed look. “You’re just as stubborn as your father! Though at least he has the guts to take risks. Clearly, at your young age, you haven’t gained enough experience yet to see when to take a risk.”

Patrick narrowed his eyes. He recognized what Anita was doing. And he didn’t like it one bit. “You’re trying to manipulate me. Let me tell you something: it won’t work.”