Page 9 of The Vampire and the Tattooist (The Vampire and Series Book 4)

Hunter got home after closing time. He”d had fun with his friends but missed Gavin. He hadn’t known the guy long but found he was already missing him when he wasn’t around, which was strange as he’d never felt that way before in any of his previous relationships. There was just something special about Gavin.

Hunter shook his head. That was an understatement. Hunter was under no illusions that he wasn’t completely in love with the guy. He knew it was late and Gavin might be sleeping, but he grabbed his phone and sent a message, not expecting a reply until morning, but knowing that he had to message to let Gavin know he was thinking about him and hoping he felt better.

He walked into his kitchen, flicked on the light switch, and headed to the sink to grab a drink when something on the counter caught his eye. He looked at it in confusion. Nothing had been there when he’d left that morning.

Hunter reached out and picked the piece of paper up and read what was on there.

You will die for what he did. He killed the Master. We will kill you.

Hunter read the note twice, confused. What master and who killed him and why was someone now after him? Also, how had whoever wrote this got in?

He walked around the whole house to find all the doors and windows were locked, which added to his confusion. He wasn’t sure he wanted to spend the night there without changing all his locks, so he grabbed his phone and called Taha.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Someone broke in, but I can’t see how they did it. Can I come and crash at yours tonight until I get the locks changed?”

“You know it. Are the police on their way?”

“No, I’ll explain everything when I get to yours,” he said, shoving the note into his pocket. “Be there in a bit.”

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

“Thanks,” he said, hanging up and running to his room to throw some clothes and stuff into a bag before thumping down the stairs. He left the house, locking up behind him, and jumping into his car, drove the short distance to Taha’s place. Hunter usually walked there as he only lived a street over, but with that weird note, he was taking no chances.

Moments later, he parked outside of Taha”s and grabbed his bag, got out of the car, and walked to the front door. He didn’t have to knock as Taha was standing in the doorway waiting for him.

“Come in and tell me everything. Coffee is on the table.”

Hunter walked in and sighed, dropping his bag by the stairs. “Thanks for this.”

“Always,” he said, walking into the lounge. “Have a pew and tell me everything. You said your house was broken into, but you didn’t call the police.”

Hunter sat on the sofa and leant forward his arms on his knees. “It was strange. Nothing was taken as far as I could see, no doors, windows, or locks broken, but I found this on my kitchen worktop.” He pulled out the paper and passed it to Taha.

Taha took the paper and read it. “What the hell? Any idea what this means?”

Hunter shook his head. “Not a clue.”

“Hunt, maybe those men were following you and not Gavin.”

“But why would they only follow me when I was with Gavin? And Gavin, I need to keep him safe. I’m suddenly glad that he’s sick at the moment,” he said, running his hands over his face. No matter what, he had to keep Gavin safe.

“Wait, before you start panicking, what if whoever left this message left it in the wrong house?”

Hunter looked up. “Fingers crossed.”

“I’ll protect you and Gavin,” Taha promised. “Plus, I know a guy. If for some reason this is too much for me, I’ll call him. He’ll help.”

“You sound sure of that.”

“I completely am. I trust this guy. Plus, you know him: Troy Nettles. You’ve met him a time or two.”

Hunter nodded. “Yeah, I remember him. Works away a lot and has a serious ‘come near me and I’ll kill you’ vibe.”

Taha laughed. “Yep, that’s him. I might message him, anyway. If he’s away, he’ll need time to come back.”

“What if this really is nothing, just the wrong house?”

“Then we’ll know for sure. But Hunt, better safe than sorry.”

“Yeah, okay, but wait until tomorrow to call him.”

* * *

Gavin wasup in his room. The party had finally wound down and everyone had gone to bed. He was sitting in his chair, he didn’t want to sleep, afraid that if he did, he would relive killing the witch.

He had always found the best way to deal with his issues was to write about them, getting all the emotions out and onto paper.

He grabbed a notebook and a pen, glancing at his phone as he got them. How had he not noticed he had a message from Hunter? He smiled to himself as he clicked it open.

Hope you’re feeling better. Sleep well, and I’ll message you tomorrow. I miss you! X

Gavin gave a small smile. He missed Hunter as well, so much. He wished Hunter knew he was a vampire and was here now, holding him, chasing his fears and nightmares away. But Gavin hadn’t been strong enough to tell him. Too scared that Hunter would run away and want nothing more to do with him.

He clicked on the message and hit reply.

I miss you, too, Hunter, so much. Something horrible happened, and I really need you. Can you come?

But before he could send the message, he shook his head, closed the window, and put his phone down. He sat there thinking for a moment, and before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep.

He was standing in White Ladies as he watched Gabriel get hit in the chest with some kind of witch ball and go flying backwards. Faster than a human could track, Mathis killed Kay, sliced his head right off.

Being outside, the smell of blood wasn’t that strong, but was there. He felt Ian latch onto his arm.

“Breathe through it, Gav,” the wolf said to him, not letting go of his arm. “Don’t let it control you.”

Gavin took a breath, then another. He was just turning to look at Ian when he felt a disturbance in the air behind him, and before he could move to look, he was being pulled backwards.

He was shocked when he found himself in a room with Ian.

“What the hell?” Ian exclaimed, dropping Gavin’s arm as the portal closed and a man stood there.

“This is just perfect,” the man said with a laugh. “I got myself a wolf and a vampire.”

“What do you want, and who the hell are you?” Ian demanded.

“I am Leonard Banning, and I am a witch, obviously.”

Gavin gave a quiet snort. Another nutter from Gabriel’s pack.

Leonard looked at him. “Well, vampire, do you have nothing to say?”

“Gavin doesn’t talk,” Ian said.

Leonard looked angry. “Then he is nothing,” he said, dismissing him. He looked away and, quickly raising his wand, shot a witch ball at Ian.

Ian groaned and clutched his stomach.

“I’m now going to kill the two of you. Gabriel will, of course, be blamed, and his budding alliance with the vampires and wolves will fall apart as both sides try and kill him.”

Quick as a flash, Ian shifted into his wolf, but Leonard shot another witch ball at him.

Gavin knew he had to do something and shifted into his vampire form and pounced on the witch.

Leonard was so startled that he dropped his wand and screamed, but Gavin didn’t care. This witch was hurting his friend and causing his new brother problems, so going on instinct, he bit into Leonard’s neck and ripped a chunk out.

Realising what he had done, Gavin dropped the body, staring in horror down at the bloody mess.

He felt his brothers and others come into the room before his knees gave out and he collapsed onto the floor. He felt his brothers rush to his side and hug him as he cried silent tears.

But suddenly, his brothers drew back, horrified looks on their faces. He looked up as they stood up and moved away.

Mathis looked down at him. “You’re evil, Gavin. You’ve shamed the family. You are no longer our brother.”

Suddenly, Hunter was standing there, a look of fear and revulsion on his face. “You are nothing to me. How could I be mated to an evil creature like you?”

Gavin silently cried out. It couldn’t be true! his beloved brothers no longer wanted him, and Hunter thought he was evil. No, it couldn’t be true.

He woke up, his mouth open in a silent scream, tears streaming down his face. It was a dream, only a dream. His brothers still loved him — indeed, the whole pack did — and Hunter still liked him for now. He brushed his hands over his face, wiping away his tears. He didn’t want to be alone. He needed his brothers, but they had mates and would be busy with them, but he needed company. He got up from his chair and left his room, walking downstairs to the kitchen. He crept in so as not to wake Bruno and got himself a drink before going to sit next to Bruno’s crate.

Bruno lifted his head and looked at him, so Gavin opened the crate and let Bruno out. Bruno walked over to him and licked his face before settling himself down on Gavin, falling asleep on his lap. Gavin stroked him until he fell into a dreamless sleep.