Page 15 of Vampire Lee

“Faelan texted he might have something.”

Lee looked up from his coffee when Murrie spoke. “Yeah?”

“He was being vague and said it might not be related, but he’s going with a group of wolves to an event tomorrow night.”

Hanna groaned. “I hate when people work undercover. Did he say where?”

Murrie shook his head. “He doesn’t know where. They’re picking him up.”

“Fuck.” She drummed a nail against the side of the cup. “I have a bad feeling.”

It was the second time Lee had heard her say that, and he hummed a reply.

“Are you working today, Lee?” Murrie pushed his plate away.

“Yeah, I’m closing, but we close at half past eleven on Sundays. I’ll be done around midnight.”

“Right, so Rei will be by, and you can see if you learn something. Do you have condoms?”

Lee swallowed wrong and started coughing while Hanna gave in to a chuckle.

“What?” It came out all wheezy.

“Right now, you smell of Dillon, not Rei. I suggest using condoms to minimize the scent of him on you, and maybe cuddle a little with Rei before you leave.”

Fucking shifters. He hadn’t considered scents. And he didn’t own any condoms. Supernaturals didn’t need them, and since he only hooked up with…He glanced toward the patio. He couldn’t give Dillon anything, and Dillon couldn’t give him anything, but maybe he expected condoms. If they were ever doing anything again. He might have fucked up.

“Buy some with taste.”

“What?” He turned to Hanna.

“Condoms with taste are the worst, those strawberry ones. The scent clings to you for days.”

“You want me to smell of artificial strawberry?”

“Best would be if you smelled of Rei, and since you’re now smelling of Dillon, it’ll be hard to sell you’re fucking Rei. Strawberry or bubblegum or whatever would help distract the scents.”

Yeah, but no one would believe he and Rei used condoms with taste. He’d jerked off with a condom once to know what it felt like but nothing else. Condoms smelled weird, and he’d much rather taste Dillon than flavored latex.

He grimaced, and both Hanna and Murrie burst out laughing.

Murrie stretched. “Pick some up. Hopefully, you won’t have to pretend much longer. Shower and hug Rei before you head in.”

Shower. He’d showered the night before. He didn’t want to wash away Dillon’s scent. It wasn’t obnoxious, he didn’t smell of sex or sweat, only like he’d held Dillon through the night. Or like Dillon had held him.

He ground his teeth. He was strong, Dillon was not. He could move fast, could lift things, could fight off an enemy, could control people with his mind. Dillon could do none of those things. He was the protector in their weird relationship or whatever. It wasn’t a relationship, more of a prolonged one-night stand. Either way, Dillon should lean on him, not the other way around.

Murrie stood. “Hopefully, someone will say something about an event tomorrow, or Faelan will learn more.”

Lee nodded. Maybe everything would be over soon, and he could go back to his normal life. A life where he hooked up with different people whenever the opportunity arose, where he went to work and poured drinks and went home to his boring apartment to sleep only to do the same thing again the day after.

Fuck. He wanted to snarl in frustration but took a calming breath.

“Did you find anything in my apartment?” He directed the question to Hanna.

“Nah, it smelled of bear and vampire, but no scents I recognized. No clues otherwise. I don’t know if they simply wanted to trash it, so you’d have to sleep at Rei’s or what. Maybe they hoped to trail you here.”

“It can’t be hard to figure this address out.” They kept a low profile, but several people knew Hanna, Faelan, and Rei lived together. Lee had never seen Murrie at The Rumbling Rogue, but he assumed some were aware he was part of the group. Mars showed up from time to time, though not lately, which most likely had something to do with Devin. Did he feed from Devin? Lee glanced toward the patio. Special blood, Faelan had said.

“If you search for our names, all you’ll find are PO boxes, but you can find an address for the department, and if you pay attention, you’ll figure out we live here.”

“So either they’re lazy or they already know we’re both here.”

Hanna nodded. “Security is pretty good. Mars and Rei went into crazy mode after Devin was taken last year, so there is no way anyone will get in here without us knowing. I’d be more worried about what happens to and from work and while you’re at the bar.”

“I’m not worried. They want Rei, not me. I’m nobody.”

“You’re most likely right.” She patted his shoulder and stood. “Now go fix whatever you did to piss Dillon off.”

“He’s not pissed off.”

Hanna chuckled. “Oh, you poor thing.”

* * * *

Dillon watered the carrots they’d sown the day before. He’d googled, and it said the key to getting a good carrot harvest was to keep the soil from drying out while waiting for the seeds to sprout.

“You think we should go to a garden center?” Devin was running his fingers over an arched trellis they’d put in yesterday. The plan was for beans to climb it.

“I don’t know. You’re the one with a plan.”

“I think it would be good to get some tomato plants. I know you have some coming, but I’m not sure if they’ll have time to mature.”

Dillon nodded.

“Or we ask Mars to go get some. We don’t have to go.”

He couldn’t tell if Devin wanted to go or hoped Dillon would say to send Mars. “If you want to go, we can go.” He ignored the dread building inside. Stepping outside the protective walls around the property wasn’t anything he’d planned on ever doing.

“Yeah, let’s go.” He pressed his lips together, a determined look creeping into his eyes. “Do you want to eat something first?”

“Nope, less risk I throw up if I have an empty stomach.”

Devin gave a brisk nod. “Right. I’ll go get Mars. Should I ask Lee?”

Dillon scrunched his nose. “I’ll talk to him.” He walked with Devin to the kitchen. Hanna headed toward the office as they entered. Murrie was already gone, but Lee was still sitting at the table. Devin headed straight through, leaving only Dillon and Lee in the room.

“We’re heading to the garden center. Do you want to come?”

“You’re heading…” Lee looked into his eyes, and Dillon held his gaze. A slither of unease traveled through him, but what the fuck. He’d had Lee’s dick in his hand and had kissed him. He’d be damned if he couldn’t look into his eyes without flinching.

“Devin wants tomato plants.”

“Oh…Do you want me there?”

“If you want to come, come. If you don’t, I’m sure Mars can keep us safe.”

Lee stood. “I’ll come.”

“To keep me safe or because you want to look at plants?”

“I don’t care about plants.”

Dillon sighed. “Can you put words on what’s going on in your head?”

Lee frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“You want me to need you, is that it?”

The frown deepened. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But the Scottish accent grew more prominent, which made Dillon believe he’d nailed it. Maybe.

He waved a hand. “Whatever.” He took a deep breath. There were more important things to worry about than Lee being an ass. He was leaving the house. Cold sweat coated his skin, and his heart sped up. Shit. Maybe he should back out. Who cared about tomato plants? Then he recalled the determined look in Devin’s eyes. This wasn’t about tomato plants. It was about stepping out there, reclaiming a tiny spot of their lives.

They’d be safe. Mars would slaughter the entire town before he’d let anyone so much as breathe on Devin, and Lee…Well, maybe it was what he wanted, to play bodyguard.

* * * *

Lee looked at Devin and Dillon as they stepped out of the car onto the parking lot outside the garden center. They were both pale as ghosts, muscles straining with tension, and lips pressed flat.

Fuck, who had thought this was a good idea? He had. He’d been the one to suggest it.

Mars took Devin’s hand and headed toward the entrance. Dillon followed, shoulders stiff and gaze jumping around. Lee looked around too, but he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. No one attacked anyone in broad daylight, did they? And there were humans all around. It was perfectly safe.

He rolled his shoulders before dropping them. They’d get some plants, then they’d be out of here. They’d head home, he’d jump in the shower, and go look for Rei, so they could hug. Then he’d head in for work.

Hurrying his steps, he caught up with Dillon. Tiny drops of sweat were beading on his upper lip, his skin a sickly white.

“It’ll be fine.” He hooked a finger with one of Dillon’s.

Dillon gave him a weak smile. “Yeah. First time I’m outside the walls, is all.”

Oh, fuck. What had made Lee believe a trip here would make Dillon happy. He looked ready to run. “Only humans here.”

Dillon looked around. “Are you sure?”

He was about to say he was, but he wasn’t. “Those I’ve seen so far have all been human.”

“Look at these, Dillon.” Devin was standing by a table filled with bushy tomato plants. “How many do you think we need?”

“You’re the boss.” Dillon glanced over his shoulder and frowned. Lee followed his gaze but couldn’t see anyone.

Devin grinned, some color coming back to his skin. “Let’s go with ten. Then we’ll have some in case the ones you’ve sown don’t have time to mature.”

Dillon nodded.

“Oh, check these out. Cucumbers. Have you planted cucumbers?”

“I have, but they haven’t germinated yet.”

“We’ll take some of these too.” Devin reached for a plant on the neighboring table. Lee looked at Mars. He smiled a quick smile and placed a hand on Devin’s neck, a thumb sliding over the skin there. Devin shot him a grin, and something tightened in Lee’s belly. They were so…familiar with each other. As he looked at Dillon, he noted him staring at something farther into the store.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I thought I saw someone I remember, but…It’s only in my mind.” He shook his head. “We need a basket, right?”

“Make it a cart.” Mars sounded amused.

Dillon nodded and headed toward the entrance. Was he going outside to grab a cart by himself? A ball of unease formed in Lee’s gut.

“What do you think, Lee? How many cucumber plants?” Devin focused on him for half a second before looking at the plants again.

“A few.”

A snort was all the reply he got, and a second later he was walking in Dillon’s direction. He wanted to rush, but there were humans around, so he walked at a human pace. Fucking hell.

Dillon walked out through the sliding doors right as an elderly woman with a purple walker made it inside the store, and Lee muttered a curse. He stepped aside to let her pass despite wanting to rush after Dillon.

He smiled at the woman when she looked up at him and squeezed past as soon as he could and almost toppling over a stack of pots as he did.

When he finally hurried out through the sliding doors, he looked around, unable to see Dillon anywhere. An invisible fist squeezed his heart. He couldn’t have disappeared. Lee hadn’t been far behind him.

When he spotted Dillon by the shopping cart corral, he almost sagged in relief. Then he realized he wasn’t grabbing a cart. He was pressing his back against the side of the structure.

Ice washed over Lee. Someone was speaking to him, and judging by the size and the way he loomed over Dillon, he didn’t think the man was human. The closer he got, the more convinced he became. A bear.

“Dillon!”

Lee ran a little too fast but hoped no one would notice. Dillon met his gaze and shook his head. “No, go back to the others, Lee.”

The bear slapped him, and the scent of blood filled the air. Fuck! Lee slammed into him with a snarl, but as he did, the sliding door to the dark gray van parked right next to the corral opened. In a blur, a vampire joined the mix, and Lee watched in horror as Dillon stepped forward to intercept him.

There were fists and grunts and curses, and then everything stilled. The vampire was pushing Lee to the ground, and the bear’s claws were pressed against Dillon’s throat, several slow rivulets of blood trickled toward his chest.

Lee hissed.

“We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way.” The bear grinned at him. There was blood on his teeth. “You can calmly join us in the van, or you’re both coming with us in a less calm way.”

“Less calm.” Dillon spat, apparently not afraid of the claws about to rip his throat out. Lee wished he could say the same thing.

“I’ll come. Leave Dillon. He’s of no use to you.”

“I could have use of him.” The vampire grinned down at him. “I’ve had use of him in the past, and I wouldn’t mind another round.”

Lee looked between Dillon and the vampire as something dark awoke in his chest. Dillon had seen someone he’d recognized inside. Fuck. He would kill this twat if it was the last thing he did, but he had to make sure Dillon was okay first.

He tried to scent the air to judge how much of a panic Dillon was in. Coming face to face with a vampire from his past must be a nightmare. He looked cool, but it had to be a front. How close was he to breaking? A buzz built in Lee’s ears, but Dillon remained calm. Lee pulled in a breath, but all he could scent was blood. Dillon’s blood. “I’ll come.”

“Lee.”

He’d never believed his name could sound like a protest until now, but he held on to Dillon’s gaze. “Get Rei.”

The bear grinned. “Yes, tell Rei we’ll be contacting him soon.” The claws melted away, and he stepped closer to the van. “Let’s get going.”

Fuck, he didn’t smell of Rei. Once they got in the van, they’d realize he smelled of Dillon. Their cover would be blown.

Lee allowed the vampire to haul him to his feet, but as soon as he had found his balance, Dillon pushed at him.

“Dillon.” Lee caught him, using his superior strength to hold him. “Don’t. I’ll go with them.” The scent of blood was thick, and Lee’s teeth dropped. Blood. If he could smell of Dillon’s blood, they might not think about his lack of jaguar scent.

And he wanted the blood.

Dillon glared at him, but he didn’t smell of fear which Lee had expected him to. Then he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Okay.”

Okay? Okay what?

Dillon fisted a hand in Lee’s hair much like the night before and guided his face to his throat. Lee had a feeling he’d gone back to glaring and was aiming it at the vampire, which was fine by him.

Dillon’s posture was stiff, his hold bruising, but when Lee ran his tongue over the bleeding wounds on his throat, he quivered. For a second everything melted away and all Lee could focus on was the taste. A needy sound escaped, and he tried to press closer to Dillon. Then he realized what he was doing and tried to scent him over the blood. He smelled nervous more than panicked, and Lee gently swiped his tongue again. There would be no teeth.

“Let’s go!” The vampire grabbed his wrist, but Lee slid his tongue over the torn skin one more time and moaned as the taste exploded on his tongue anew. He ran his free hand over where blood had already spilled. He tugged to get free of the vampire’s hold. He wanted more, wanted to lick every drop off Dillon. Fucking hell, it was the best blood he’d ever had. The taste was rich, and it filled him with heat.

Another sound of pleasure escaped him.

“Enough!” The vampire hauled him into the van, and Lee stared at Dillon. He looked a little lost, but not too bad. And right before the vampire, who hopped in after Lee, closed the door, Dillon gave him a nod.