Page 24

Danny

“ A fter I gave her the Zofran, she stopped vomiting everywhere, but she did throw her purse at me when I wouldn’t let her eat anything yet. We had to move all her belongings out of her reach.”

“Well that’s a…real lovely report. Thanks, Danny.”

The sarcasm was heavy with this one. “Sorry to pass a rough one onto you.”

The nurse on the other end of the line gave an exaggerated sigh. “Just my tragic lot in life. Really, I get it. Luck of the draw. Send her up when you’re ready. I’ll see if the doctor on call will give her a diet order so she can eat something.”

“She’ll love you forever,” Danny responded brightly. “Have a good night.”

Danny secured a transporter for his patient, then sat back in his chair with a heavy sigh. He loved his job, but some nights could take it out of a guy. Luckily this night seemed to be slowing down.

It didn’t help that he had somewhere else he’d really, really rather be.

Or, some one else he’d rather be with .

His vampire. His…mate?

His vampire mate who’d been treating him like a precious object all day. Danny had woken up with a warm, wet mouth around his cock. Already a gold star start to the day, in his book.

Roman had teased him to the point where he’d been begging to be fucked, but had then insisted—quite evilly—that Danny would be too sore after the night before.

The downsides of a fragile human body, Danny supposed.

Roman had swallowed him down instead, driving him to orgasm with hard, furious sucking that had left Danny reeling.

Then he’d made Danny breakfast.

Really, a guy could get used to it.

Soren had even joined them for breakfast again, this time uninterrupted by Gabe.

Danny hadn’t heard from his brother at all since their confrontation the morning before, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to yet.

He’d been suffering some guilt for the way they’d left things but not as much as he might’ve thought.

After all, it was Gabe who had pushed their relationship to this point.

For a slightly unhinged ancient vampire, Soren was a surprisingly pleasant roommate. He even did the dishes after breakfast. Danny wasn’t exactly sure where Roman’s friend went at night. Hunting for Luc? Hunting for blood? Hunting for hookups?

But it was probably for the best Soren hadn’t been around to hear the evidence of their extracurricular activities the night before. It was bad enough he might have heard them this morning, but Danny hadn’t exactly been quiet while getting the fucking of a lifetime.

Danny fought a blush over the thought of it. He also fought down some resentment over being at the hospital instead of back in Roman’s arms, working to convince the vampire that his fragile human body wasn’t too sore for his cock after all.

Danny had been forced to make do with a disappointingly chaste kiss in the car when Roman dropped him off.

Yes, his vampire lover had sent him off to work with a peck on the lips like some sort of absurdly handsome househusband.

Again, a guy could really get used to it.

Except…surely Roman wouldn’t be satisfied with this kind of routine for long, would he?

Hanging around the house, waiting for Danny to get off work.

Accompanying him on visits to the care home, using his magical vampire powers to help an old lady remember her son.

Cooking food for the both of them that he didn’t even need to eat.

It would grow old fast, right? Just like Danny would grow old fast.

Let’s not go there, brain. Happy thoughts.

Or at least, less horribly depressing thoughts.

Danny was brought out of said horribly depressing thoughts by the sound of the nurse’s station phone ringing, but his coworker Henry answered it before Danny could, nodding along to whoever was on the other end.

“Uh-huh. Yep. We’ll be ready.” The other nurse hung up and looked to Danny. “That was the transfer center.”

Looked like break time would be brief.

“What’s coming in?” Danny sighed, resigned to his fate.

“Thirty-five-year-old man with significant blood loss. Hypotensive and minimally responsive. They’re about ten minutes out. I’ll page the trauma doc and grab some fluids. Let the blood bank know?”

“I’m on it.” They both leaped into action.

Danny’s call to the hospital blood bank was brief, just a heads-up that they might be needing an emergent transfusion soon. He was just getting up to help Henry with the trauma bay setup when a shadow fell over his desk.

Looking up at the man standing in front of him, Danny had a strange sense of déjà vu, recalling his first meeting with Roman.

But the handsome man looming over him wasn’t Danny’s now familiar vampire lover. He had a shock of dark hair, lightly silvered at the temples. Not quite as tall as Roman but still much taller than Danny. He was well muscled, wearing a fashionable, formfitting black sweater and dark jeans.

And, Danny realized, his quick perusal returning to the man’s face—his eyes were black.

Danny felt a pang of fear go through him but made himself take a deep breath. He’d been spending too much time around vampires. Maybe it was a trick of the light. Maybe this was just a guy—a regular human guy—with really dark-brown eyes.

Brown eyes without any whites around the edges. Sure.

Except even as he was thinking it, he knew it wasn’t the case. He could feel it in the air, could see it in the man’s gaze.

Danny was in the presence of a predator.

Had he really thought Roman creepy in their first encounter? He had nothing on the vibes this other man was giving off. Danny could sense the menace, the violence, just under the surface. Goose bumps erupted on his arms, and he suppressed a shiver.

“Daniel Kingman.”

The man’s voice was deep, gruffer than Roman’s, with a hint of a French accent.

Lucien. It had to be.

“Yes.” Danny forced himself to keep his voice steady. “How can I help you?”

“So very polite. I like it.” The black-eyed man breathed in deeply. “And such a delicious scent of fear coming off you. I like that even more.”

So the other vampire wasn’t going to even pretend to be human. It seemed like they were starting off with all their cards on the table. “Well, you’re a bit intimidating, Lucien,” Danny reasoned.

“Ah.” Lucien’s black eyes gleamed. “So he’s told you about me.”

Danny nodded. “He has.”

“I’m touched,” the vampire said lightly, but there wasn’t a hint of friendliness in his gaze.

“Can I ask what you’re doing here? Roman isn’t around, if you’re looking for him.” Danny didn’t know what to do other than stall. He couldn’t run. Lucien would catch him in an instant. And Henry would be back any minute, looking for Danny, hopefully with some other personnel in tow.

Would that be enough to deter the vampire from violence, or would Danny just be placing his coworkers in danger?

Lucien gave what Danny supposed could be considered a smile, had there been any hint of warmth in his eyes.

And had there not been fangs poking out from between his lips.

“I just wanted to see the human that has so fascinated my old friend.” He leaned closer, peering at Danny.

“Up close you’re fairly stunning. Here I thought you were just a mousy little human.

” He hummed. “I suppose I can see the appeal.”

“Do you mind putting those away?” Danny gestured at Lucien’s mouth. The vampire only smiled wider, baring his sharp fangs more clearly.

“I’m afraid I’m not as tame as your little house vamp, Daniel. Mine don’t get put away anymore.”

“I wouldn’t call him tame,” Danny said tightly. “I’d call him controlled.”

Lucien’s fake smile dropped. “Then I’d say he has you fooled.”

Danny didn’t see this conversation going anywhere good. He should find a way to end it, and quickly. “Well, you’ve seen me. You can leave now. Unless you’re planning to off me right here?”

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Jesus, Danny, don’t taunt the psycho vampire. Idiot.

Lucien laughed, a terrifying sound. “Oh my, just what exactly has he been telling you about me?” He leaned even closer, and Danny couldn’t help his cringe, half expecting the man to leap over the desk and sink his teeth into Danny’s neck at any moment. “ He’s the killer, didn’t you know?”

“And that body you left in the alleyway for us to find?” Oh God, what was that about not taunting psychotic vampires again? He couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut.

“That was a gift. Just cleaning up some of the trash around here.”

“I see.” Danny did not see. “So you’re not a killer. And you’re just here for a friendly visit. And then you’ll be on your way?”

“Well, not exactly, Daniel.” Lucien tutted. “I think I might be sticking around for a little while. I’m curious about you, you see. You know what he is. I presume you know some of what he’s done. You’re not afraid?”

“I’d be stupid to not be a little afraid. But not of him. Of the whole—” Danny used his hands to gesture vaguely around. “—situation.”

“The situation…” Lucien seemed to be mulling over Danny’s words. Understandable. It hadn’t exactly been Danny’s most eloquent moment.

He wasn’t really sure what to make of the vampire in front of him.

Lucien was dangerous; that was clear. Danny could feel that much on an instinctual level. And Lucien was clearly not afraid of having his demon front and center. But he didn’t seem feral , not in the way Soren and Roman had described it.

He clearly wasn’t a mindless beast, with the way he was verbally poking at Danny.

Playing with his dinner, perhaps? Danny wasn’t quite able to suppress his shiver this time around, and he could have sworn he saw Lucien’s eyes light up at the sight.

Danny didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. “They keep it very cold down here,” he found himself saying haughtily.

Lucien just raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t know. Vampire and all.”

“But don’t you…Roman feels…” Danny thought back to the heat of Roman’s skin, of his mouth.

Lucien smirked at him. “Warm-blooded?”