Warriors of the Light 5
Lawson’s Half Mate
Officer Jeremy Langston is half the man he used to be both physically and mentally. An accident
causes him to lose his legs and witness his sister’s mysterious abduction, and claiming the
existence of vampires has his coworkers thinking he’s lost his mind, but Jeremy knows the truth.
Vampires do exist. He just has to prove it.
Dead bodies and missing person’s reports are piling up in the town of Clearview. Lawson
Campbell, a lion shifter and Warrior of the Light, has come to Clearview in search of a fellow
warrior and to help stop the violence plaguing the town. Meeting Jeremy is unexpected, but
Lawson feels their connection and knows he can help his self-conscious mate learn to live again if
only Jeremy will give him a chance.
Danger is drawing near, and Lawson must save Clearview from an underground club of killer
vampires while trying to keep his mate safe because living without Jeremy isn’t an option.
Ge nre :
Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Le ngth:
46,427 words
LAWSON’S HALF MATE
Warriors of the Light 5
AJ Jarrett
EROTIC ROMANCE
MANLOVE
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IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove
LAWSON’S HALF MATE
Copyright © 2013 by AJ Jarrett
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-636-9
First E-book Publication: October 2013
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LAWSON’S HALF MATE
Warriors of the Light 5
AJ JARRETT
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“We almost there yet?”
Lawson’s attention got yanked from his thoughts and the road that lay
out in front of him by Elias’s complaining. He’d been so caught up in his
own musing he almost forgot he was the one driving. Lawson hated when
that happened. On several different occasions he had missed their
turnoffs and nearly wrecked. People thought texting and driving was bad.
For him it would be thinking while driving that would one day send him
to a fiery death.
He’d been wrapped up in thoughts of home and missing his brother,
Lachlan. Lawson’s time at home had been less and less since he’d been
selected with two other warriors to search for Sayer. And so far the
search for Sayer hadn’t turned up squat. It seemed like they were chasing
after a ghost. Every time they thought they were getting close to the man
holding Sayer captive, William, would up and disappear, taking Sayer
with him. It made Lawson, Elias, and Cason’s job extremely hard. Even
with them being shifters with excellent hunting abilities. William was an
evil mastermind that Lawson felt was fucking with them every chance he
got, luring them close only to vanish into thin air.
Lawson couldn’t wait to get a hold of that man. He wanted to rip
William’s arms and legs from his body, leaving just a bloody torso. Then
to finish him off, he’d sink his sharp as steel teeth into William’s neck
and wrench the fuckers head to the side until it popped off like a grape
being plucked from the vine. He wasn’t of the violent sort, but he’d been
on the road searching for months for a fellow warrior who had been
under the care of an evil vampire. Lawson’s blood ran cold when he
thought too much about Sayer and what he had been enduring all this
time. He had to wonder when and if they found the vampire what they
would be coming face to face with. Would he be in a state of mind that
could recover from months of being held by a mad man, or would he
have gone rabid like a dog and need to be put down?
Those terrible thoughts kept Lawson up at night. He couldn’t begin to
image what Sayer must be going through. And because of that, Lawson
continued to search. Come hell or high water he’d find the man.
“Dude, you need to relax,” Cason said from the passenger seat.
Elias and Cason had been his road trip buddies for the past six
months. If he had to be on the road with anyone, he’d chosen these two
men. Elias just turned twenty-six and was a sprite of a man. Lawson
often teased him about being a hobbit. His short, thin stature, and
delicate features had fooled more than one dark warrior in Elias’s young
life. Elias had been born a cougar shifter, and he used deadly force when
applicable, which for Elias was all the time. His excellent vision and
hearing scared the shit out of Lawson at times.
Then there was Cason, a wolf. He’d been a warrior for over three
hundred years, but just by looks and mannerisms most people would
assume he was in his early twenties. Cason lived his life one day at a
time and moved to the beat of his own drum, which drove some people
insane. He’d come over to America from Germany, had lost his accent
ages ago, and today sounded more like an American teenager.
“Sure thing there, wolfie, but I’m hungry and need to pee.” Elias
thumped the back of Lawson’s seat. “Are we almost there yet, fearless
leader?” Elias whined.
Since their trip started months ago Elias and Cason had started
referring to him as the leader of the group, which he found hilarious.
Lawson was in no way shape or form the person anyone wanted to be in
charge. Lawson was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, not one to make the
important decisions, or at least he hadn’t been until he took on this
mission.
Lawson prided himself on being a good warrior because he had the
ability to follow orders without question. People usually fell into two
categories in life, leaders and followers, and Lawson had been more
than satisfied being a follower.
“Elias, you whine like a bitch, you know that?” Lawson teased.
Elias shrugged. “Sure, but only when I’m starving.”
A green road sign indicated a town lay two miles in front of them.
Lawson merged into the right lane and hit his blinker. “Just hang in there
for about ten more minutes.”
Lawson followed the signs that led them to a small ma and pop diner.
He parked the car in the nearly empty parking lot and hopped out.
Lawson stretched his arms over his head and turned his head from side
to side, popping his vertebrae back into place. The long drive had
caused him to become stiff as a board.
“Food!” Elias squealed as he jogged to the double doors.
“That kid acts like he hasn’t eaten in months, and by my
estimation”—Cason looked down at his watch—“it’s only been an hour
and twenty-three minutes since we stopped to fill up the gas tank. Elias
stocked up on snacks and chomped away on those godforsaken chips for
a good thirty minutes. He better be lucky he’s a shifter or he’d lose that
youthful figure in a blink of an eye.” He snapped his fingers.
“He’s just young, Cason. And, in saying that, he’s a pain in our old
asses.” He held the door open for the wolf.
“Old? Speak for yourself there, cat,” Cason teased.
“Sure thing, pup.” Lawson dodged Cason’s playful punch to the arm.
A heavyset older woman greeted them with a smile and told them to
have a seat wherever they would like. Elias took up residency in a booth
in the far back corner. Lawson took the seat across from Elias and Cason
to the seat next to Elias. The waitress took their drink order then darted
off.
Lawson stared down at the menu. It was the same as it had been in
every town he been to. A different state and town but the same old food.
He missed home cooked food, hell, he missed his own bed.
“So how far until we reach Jacksonville?” Elias asked as he sucked
down his soda.
“About three hours or so.” Lawson took a drink from his water. “I
need to call Ben to make sure there haven’t been any changes in our
destination.” There had been several times Lawson and the other men
would reach a location just to find out the dark warriors had uprooted
and left town. Hunting William and searching for Sayer was time
consuming, but if they got Sayer back alive, it would have all been worth
it. The information they were going on wasn’t even a guarantee that they
would find Sayer, but hope was all they had at this point.
The waitress came back and they placed their order. While they sat
waiting, Lawson excused himself to go and call Ben. The phone rang
twice before it was answered.
“Hello.” Ben’s tired voice came over the line. Ben was the man in
charge of the Warriors of the Light, and lately he had been busy with
training new warriors and aiding in the search for Sayer. Lawson knew it
killed Ben not to be able to help more, but Lawson told him he was
doing enough by tracking every lead that came in.
“Hey, it’s me, Lawson. Anything new come in on William and his
coven’s whereabouts?”
“Lawson, I might be tired but I know it’s you.” Ben’s deep chuckled
echoed over the phone. “The paper trail has him heading toward the
eastern side of Florida. It appears he’s hitting every town on the way and
Clearview is next. It’s about an hour outside of Jacksonville. There is an
unusual amount of missing person’s reports in that area.”
“And you’re sure they’re connected with William?” Lawson ran a
hand over his shorn hair. The spiky stubble of new growth scratched
against his palm. His hair had never been this short, but since an incident
involving his brother’s mate mistakenly confusing him and his twin had
led to Garrett groping Lawson, he had taken a pair of clippers to his long
locks. He’d actually grown fond of the short hairstyle.
“That’s what William does. Dark warriors don’t pride themselves on
being smart, just ruthless, and William definitely follows a pattern.”
“You’re right.” Lawson let out a heavy sigh. Exhaustion screamed in
his tired body.
Ben continued to talk, and Lawson half listened. A car pulled into the
parking lot and parked a few spaces over from where Lawson stood.
Two young men climbed out and one caught Lawson’s eye. A thin blond
man with wide-set eyes that shined a light blue smiled at him. Not just
any smile but a flirty tilt of his lips. Lawson turned to watch as the man
walked by. The man’s hips gave an extra sway as he strode passed.
“Hey, are you listening to me?” Ben asked.
“Uh-huh.” Lawson’s eyes followed the bounce of the man’s tight
little butt. He felt his cock shift in his pant and he reached down to adjust
his growing erection. It had been months since he had been laid and he’d
be happy to relieve his urges on that young piece of ass.
“Okay, head to Clearview and report back to me as soon as you get
there.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Lawson hung up the phone and shoved it into his
back pocket. He went back inside the diner and took his seat. Lawson
shifted to sit sideways in his seat and glanced around for the blond.
Their eyes met, and Lawson gave a tilt of his head and a small smile.
The man’s face blushed and he turned away.
“Dude, what did Ben say?” Cason threw a fry at him.
Lawson turned away from his would-be conquest to look at his
friend. “Boys, we’re heading to Clearview. According to Ben, William
is stopping at every town along the way and the missing person’s reports
confirm it.”
“Fucking vampires,” Elias said with disgust. “They’re the human
equivalent to leeches. They just suck everything dry and leave an empty
stump.”
“To be fair, I don’t think a leach can actually drain a person of all
their blood.” Lawson smirked. “Maybe a thousand on one body could do
some damage.”
“Whatever.” Elias rolled his head from side to side.
“Not all vamps are bad,” Cason said.
“No, they’re not all bad, but this one,” Elias blew out a whistle, “is
one sick fuck. I remember Sayer saying that William would keep humans
alive for days on end, slowly draining them. He’d let his other coven
members rape and beat the captives. If you ask me, Sayer got off lucky
that William took a liking to him. Probably saved his life.”
“I wouldn’t say it was luck.” Lawson picked up his burger and took a
bite. The food tasted like paste. Just talking about Sayer and his past
made Lawson’s stomach turn into knots.
Sayer had just turned nineteen when he had been turned. Lawson
remembered the first time he met Sayer and the fear in the man’s eyes
scared even him. William had fooled Sayer into thinking he was in love
with him and the man might have been, but the fact that he used his fist to
show his so-called love led Lawson to think it wasn’t love at all but
more about control.
Lawson lost his appetite and tossed his half-eaten burger to the plate.
He wiped his mouth clean then rested his forehead against his hand. The
cruelty of others never seemed to amaze Lawson, and thinking about
Sayer’s situation always drudged up his own past. Memories he’d rather
keep buried.
“I think someone has an admirer,” Elias whispered. “And he’s
adorable.”
Lawson looked over his shoulder and saw the blond cutie staring at
him. The man quickly turned away. Lawson couldn’t find it in him to get
up and go over to introduce himself. He didn’t think he’d be much
company for anyone right now.
“Yeah, but we have to go.” Lawson pulled out some money and set it
on the table. He slid out of his booth and started for the door. He could
feel the young man’s eyes on his back, but he didn’t turn around. He had
a job to do and he needed to get back to it. So what if he was lonely?
Sometimes being alone was a much safer bet than letting someone in to
just crush your heart. Lawson had learned long ago that no one was safe
from heartache.
Chapter Two
“Mr. Langston, how have the dreams been? Are they becoming less
frequent?”
Jeremy sat in his wheelchair facing away from his work-appointed
shrink. The lady said she wanted him to tell her the truth, but what could
he say that she would believe? It was because his coworkers and boss
thought him to be crazy that he sat in her office in the first place.
“Sure.” Jeremy turned his chair around and idly rolled it back and
forth.
“Now, Jeremy, lying to me doesn’t help matters.” She leaned
forward in her chair. Her glasses slid down her straight nose.
“What do you want me to say? That the nightmares never go away?
That I wake up in a cold sweat as visions of my sister being dragged off
by a monster plague my dreams? Is that what you want to hear, that I’m
certifiable?” The doctor sat back in her chair as if the force of his words
pushed her.
“Now, Jeremy, no one thinks you’re crazy.” She wrote something
down on her notepad. “Maybe just confused.”
Jeremy huffed out a breath. That’s what the police said when he
called them to report what had happened. It was like salt in an open
wound hearing the men he worked alongside with tell him that what he
saw was impossible. That people with inch long teeth and claws for
fingers didn’t exist.
It had been six months since he witnessed something he couldn’t
explain. His mind told him the absurdity of what he had seen but he saw
it with his own two eyes. Growing up, vampires were a thing of myth,
but Jeremy knew better now. He saw the monster that took his sister from
the house they shared. The black glowing eyes, red-stained teeth, and
unnaturally long fingernails that curved into sharp points. He could still
see the dark blood running down her neck to dampen her nightshirt every
time he closed his eyes.
“Between your accident and her disappearance, you’re dealing with
a lot of stress.” She lifted her shoulders and gave him a placating look.
“I think your mind has manifested all these images in your head. It’s
natural in cases like yours.”
Here we go again. Jeremy had been seeing the good doctor once a
week for the past five months, and she loved to say words like “normal”
and “common.” It really pissed him off. There was nothing normal or
common about what he saw. He might have still been dealing with losing
his legs, but it didn’t mean his mind had been affected. Jeremy knew
what he saw and no matter how much she tried to convince him
otherwise, he wasn’t going to change his mind.
“Are we done here?” Jeremy’s fist tightened along the wheels of his
chair.
Dr. Kinsley shook her head and made a tsking noise. “Yes, Jeremy.”
She stood up to open the door for him. “Same time next week?”
“Yep.” Jeremy wheeled down the hallway and to the elevator and hit
the down button. A woman and a little boy stood waiting for the metal
doors to open. The boy stared at him and Jeremy smiled over at the small
child. He had gotten use to people staring. It didn’t even really bother
him too much anymore. People gawked at things that were different, and
as much as Jeremy hated to admit it, he was different. He was half the
man he used to be.
The doors dinged open, and he motioned for the mother and son to go
ahead of him. Just because he was in a wheelchair didn’t make him less
of a gentleman.
Jeremy went to the garage level of the building and headed toward
his car. He popped the lock on his key chain and rolled beside the
driver’s side door. Jeremy used the hand rail above his head and lifted
his body into his seat then leaned over and folded up his chair. The
wheelchair he used was made from a lightweight metal and folded up
easily. He set the chair to rest on the floor of the passenger side of his
car.
After his accident it took a while for him to get used to doing all the
simple things he took for granted when he had two fully functioning legs.
He went through a bout of depression but his sister, Addison, moved in
with him and refused to let him feel sorry for himself.
A smile spread across his face as he remembered her telling him so
what if he had two stumps for legs. He was still alive and should be
grateful for that because she sure as hell was.
Jeremy had been on the police force for a little over five years when
he had his accident. It had been a routine traffic stop. He had gotten out
of his patrol car to issue a ticket to a car speeding down the highway, in
the rain, going thirty miles an hour over the speed limit. When the car
pulled over Jeremy climbed out of his car and went to the driver side.
He collected the man’s ID and insurance information and headed back to
his cruiser. On his way back to return the man’s belongings and have him
sign the ticket, another car braked suddenly to avoid being hit by a truck
that had begun to merge into its lane. When the woman hit the brakes, her
car hydroplaned and slammed into the side of the car Jeremy had pulled
over. He tried to jump out of the way but wasn’t quick enough, and the
lower part of his legs became pinned between the two vehicles. Both
legs had been crushed. The doctors tried to save his legs but one had
been too badly damaged, and he lost the other when he developed an
infection. His left leg had been amputated half way up his thigh and made
wearing a prosthetic rather painful. His right leg just below the knee.
He stayed on the force, but now he sat at a desk. He filed the reports
when people came in with complaints and assisted with processing
suspects brought into the station. Sitting at a desk never had been
something he aspired to do in life, but it kept him in the career he loved
and around the friends he had made.
Clearview City Police Station came into view, and Jeremy parked in
the handicap spot right in front of the building. The only upside to being
stuck in his chair was that he always got up front parking now.
Jeremy wheeled his chair up the ramp and the automated doors slid
open. He waved and smiled to fellow officers as he passed by. It took
some time, but his coworkers had finally stopped giving him pitying
glances. He understood why they felt sympathy for him, but he didn’t
need it. Like Addison had said, he survived a terrible accident and lived
to tell the tale.
“How did your appointment go?” Jeremy looked up to see Bryan, a
man he had gone through the academy with.
“Oh, you know.” Jeremy shrugged. He grabbed a folder that sat on
his desk and flipped through the contents.
“Boy, you sure are talkative today.” Bryan tried to get a rise out of
him, but Jeremy’s attention stayed glued to the paper in his hand.
Another body had been found with savage neck wounds and drained
of blood. Was he the only person who saw that these were vampire
attacks, not a stabbing victim or whatever bullshit story they spun to the
media?
Ever since Addison had been taken, he dedicated a large chunk of his
life to tracking the monster responsible. Vampires existed and were
taking innocent lives every day.
“Yo, Jer, where did you go?” Bryan waved a hand in front of his
face.
His eyes began to cross as he stared at the piece of paper. The body
of a woman the same age as Addison had been found in her apartment.
No signs of a struggle and no known enemies.
“Jeremy, are you okay?” The earnest sound in Bryan’s voice had him
looking up at his friend.
“Shit, sorry, Bryan.” He faked a yawn. “Just tired, man.”
“Okay.” Bryan narrowed an eye at him. “You know if you ever need
to talk, I’m always here.”
“Of course,” Jeremy said without hesitation. Bryan had been the one
friend to not treat him differently and pushed him to not give up after
Addison had been abducted.
Bryan sat and talked for a few more minutes. When he left, Jeremy
pulled out the folder he kept hidden in the back of his desk. He’d been
doing his own investigating into the missing persons cases and the few
bodies that had been discovered. The one thing all the victims had in
common was that they had visited a nightclub, Club Menace. Even his
sister had gone there with friends before she had been taken.
Clearview was a city just outside of Jacksonville. It had a wonderful
night life and an amazing theme park that lured in tourists year round. A
constant flow of people coming and going within the city limits.
The owner of the bar complied and allowed a search of the property
and answered all questions the detectives threw at him without the
presence of a lawyer. He had nothing to hide, but Jeremy knew that
everyone always had something to hide. He swore to himself he’d
discover what dark secrets lurked in the shadows of this popular
nightclub.
Ever since Addison had been taken, Jeremy had driven to Club
Menace and parked out along the street and watched the building. His
handicap kept him from venturing inside, too afraid and untrusting on his
fake legs to be able to maneuver around the large crowds of people. But
all that would change tonight. Too many people had gone missing, and
more bodies were turning up. It was time for him to man up and do the
job he swore to do, protect the innocent people of Clearview.
A few hours later Jeremy headed home with his file tucked into his
bag. He made himself dinner and sat at the kitchen table going over the
papers for the thousandth time. Jeremy looked at his watch and saw that
it was half past seven. He packed away his papers and rolled himself
away from the table.
As he headed toward his room he saw that the sun had started to set
in the sky. It’d be dark soon so he had to hurry.
In his room he wheeled his chair to the dresser and pulled out a pair
of faded blue jeans and a black V-neck shirt then rolled over to the
closet. He pulled out his prosthetics and laid them on his lap then moved
toward his bed. He pulled off his work clothes and replaced them with
his casual clothes. He rolled up his pant legs then began the process of
attaching his legs.
Wearing his fake, so-not-real, and painful-as-shit legs wasn’t his
favorite thing. They rubbed at the skin covering the bottom of his stumps,
and after only few hours he’d cringed with every step he took. The
doctor had said if he wore them more frequently that wouldn’t happen
and that he’d develop a tolerance for his prosthetics. Jeremy didn’t listen
to the doctor’s advice and constantly had to go back in to get the sockets
readjusted to fit more snuggly on his knees.
His legs were gone and wearing around a plastic reminder of what
he’d lost wasn’t his idea of a good time. He was a cripple plain and
simple, and he didn’t need anyone’s pity.
Once he had the prosthetics strapped to his legs, Jeremy used the
nightstand to help pull him to his feet. He held his hands out to the sides
to keep his balance. Since he didn’t use his artificial legs very often, he
always felt like he was on stilts. He wavered back and forth and always
had a feeling of uneasiness. The last thing he wanted to do was fall on
his face. But once again, it was his fault he wasn’t a pro at this by now.
His physical therapist tried to work with him, but Jeremy had been
stubborn and unwilling to try.
Taking an experimental step forward then another, Jeremy had his
bearings about him. He walked slowly over to his dresser and gazed into
the mirror. He hated looking at his reflection. Since the accident and his
sister’s disappearance he’d become a shell of the man he used to be.
Besides being literally half the man he once was, he had also lost weight
in his face. Dark circles under his eyes were a constant reminder he
never got any rest at night no matter how long he lay in bed. He had lost
the glow to his skin tone and looked pasty. Muscles still corded what
remained of his body, but he’d become lean instead of bulky like he had
been before his accident. He looked like a man with nothing to lose.
Jeremy tucked his wallet into his back pocket and slowly made his
way toward the kitchen. Once there he took a break, catching his breath.
He snatched up his car keys and pushed away from the counter. He knew
tonight would be the start of many nights he’d spend at Club Menace
until he found some kind of information on his sister. And once he found
whoever was responsible, he’d make them pay.
Chapter Three
Close to five hours later, Jeremy started to think the night was a bust.
The whole time he was at Club Menace nothing strange or out of the
ordinary happened. All he saw was a bunch of drunken patrons dancing
and groping one another. A few times he’d been propositioned, but he
refused. Jeremy didn’t have enough coordination on his prosthetics to go
cut a rug with anyone, so he stayed back in the shadows and watched.
The air circulating in the dark club was stifling. He could hear the
air-conditioning kick on every so often, but the large mass of dancing
bodies kept the temperature up. The smell of sweat and alcohol
permeated the air, causing his stomach to sour.
This just wasn’t Jeremy’s scene. He had never been one for clubbing
or going out to get drunk every night, but the people at this club seemed
to be having a blast. Little did any of them know, they could be the next
victim to be abducted and found dead in a few weeks.
Jeremy looked down at his watch and saw that it was closing in on
one. He decided to finish the rest of his beer and head for the door. As
he walked along the outer edge of the bar, a man stood up and pushed
against Jeremy’s side. He lost his balance and almost fell to the side but
he caught himself on a high-top table, knocking the occupant’s glass to
the side.
“Sorry about that,” Jeremy said as he righted himself. “I guess I had a
little too many,” he joked, wanting to disguise his embarrassment.
The young ladies at the table smiled and shook off his apology. “It
happens to the best of us,” the petite brunette said, her eyes heavy as she
openly assessed his body. “Do you need a ride home? Cause if you do,
I’d love to give you one.” She licked her tongue over her lips and
winked up at him.
He just bet she would. “Nah, I’m good, but thanks.” Jeremy smiled at
her one more time then headed for the door.
It had been flattering but what she had to offer wouldn’t do anything
for him. Besides being a cripple, he was also gay. He preferred strong,
muscular men who he knew wouldn’t break with his aggressive sexual
desires. He liked to suck a hard, thick cock and drink down the guy’s hot,
salty load then fuck the guy until his eyes crossed. For Jeremy, nothing
could compare to pile driving into a tight, hungry hole.
Even as hard up as he was, Jeremy couldn’t force his dick to get hard
for a woman. He lacked any self-confidence, and where he was flattered
by the woman’s open flirtation, he knew once she saw what was under
his jeans she’d bolt for the door. Jeremy gave up a long time ago looking
for a partner or, hell, just someone to have sex with. What was left of his
legs looked hideous with scars.
It Jeremy took forever to maneuver through the sea of people. He
dodged a few people as he rounded the corner and bumped into a solid,
warm wall.
“Sorry, man.” A man about Jeremy’s height smiled at him. “It’s
packed as fuck in here.”
Jeremy hesitated for a brief moment, struck speechless by the man’s
handsome face. His skin glowed with a healthy tan, and his brown eyes
seemed to sparkle even in the low lighting. The man’s full lips tugged up
at the corners, and Jeremy couldn’t look away.
Stop window shopping. A guy this hot would never want a freak
like you.
Jeremy gave a shake to his head. “It’s okay,” he snapped then headed
for the door. He could feel the other man’s eyes on his retreating back,
but Jeremy didn’t turn around. Why bother? Once the guy realized he
didn’t have any legs he’d make some lame excuse as to why he had to
leave. Jeremy thought it best to save both of them that horrific torture.
Once outside Jeremy took a deep, cleansing breath of the fresh night
air. It was moist, and his shirt instantly clung to his body from
perspiration. Jeremy pulled at his shirt while he walked to his car. As he
passed the side alley he looked down to see if anything looked
suspicious, but nothing stood out. If he thought too much on it Jeremy had
to think this place seemed a little too clean and perfect. People that had
gone to this club ended up missing or dead. No matter how visibly
perfect on the outside Club Menace might be, Jeremy knew something
dark and sinister lay within those walls. He just had to take the place
apart brick by brick to find it.
* * * *
Lawson’s phone started to ring, and he pulled the device from his
pocket. “Lawson here,” he answered, not looking at the touch screen.
They had just arrived to Clearview, and with him driving he didn’t want
to take his eyes off the road.
“Hey, bro.” His brother Lachlan’s voice came over the line. “How’s
it going?”
“Oh, you know.” Lawson didn’t have to say anything else. Lachlan
knew how he felt and that it was weighing on him that they hadn’t found
Sayer yet.
“Try to not let it get to you, Lawson. William keeps throwing
obstacles at us every step of the way. You can’t blame yourself for this.”
Lachlan tried to pep him up. “We’ll find him.”
He wished he was as optimistic as he brother, but Lawson was
starting to have his doubts. They could be searching for Sayer for years,
centuries for that matter.
“I hope,” was all he could say.
“Ben wanted me to call and give you some information they found
out after hacking into the Clearview city police records. The one thing
all missing or dead victims had in common, and that was they all visited
a nightclub called Club Menace.”
“Hmm.” Lawson chewed on the inside of his cheek as he listened to
his brother. “Why haven’t the police shut this place down?” It seemed
pretty self-explanatory to him.
“Because they can’t prove anything and the owner of the club is
squeaky clean. Right now it all just looks like a bunch of coincidences.”
Lachlan sounded a bit annoyed.
“Yeah, coincidence my ass.” Lawson pulled the SUV to a stop at a
stoplight. “What’s the address?”
“I’ll text it to you as soon as I get off the phone.” There was a brief
pause before Lachlan spoke again. “Just please be careful.”
“I always am,” Lawson said with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Lachlan had always been the
responsible one. Even before they left home, Lachlan had been their
father’s favorite. Lachlan was born to be a leader, where Lawson was
happy to just sit and let his brother be in the spotlight. Lawson didn’t
have any hard feelings toward his brother though. Lachlan had been the
only person to be there for him his whole life. He’d love his brother into
the end of time.
They said a quick good-bye and as promised Lachlan texted over the
address to Club Menace. Lawson typed it into his GPS and took the next
right at the stoplight. Even at the late hour the town seemed to be popping
with life. Restaurants and other dance clubs lined both sides of the street,
but the one Lawson wanted was at the far end away from all the others.
He pulled into a parking spot and turned off the ignition.
“This is the place, boys,” Lawson announced as he climbed out of
the car.
“Club Menace?” Elias turned his nose up at the place.
“What? Is this place too rough sounding for you, my dear boy?”
Cason teased Elias and Lawson had to swallow down his chuckle at
Elias’s disgusted look.
“Fuck you!” Elias held up his middle finger as he passed by Lawson
and Cason.
“Hey, all you have to do is ask, my love.” Cason walked up beside
Elias and draped his arm around the other man’s thin shoulders.
Lawson laughed out loud when Elias shrugged off Cason’s arm and
bolted for the door. They all three joked and teased one another, and
most of the time Elias took the brunt of the teasing. The kid was a
hothead and an overreactor.
“Keep your eyes peeled. If anything looks suspicious let me know,”
Lawson said before they reached the door. “Keep your heads up and
eyes open, got it?” He looked each man square in the eye.
“Got it,” Cason agreed and Elias nodded his head.
The bouncer at the door checked their IDs and gave Elias a weird
look as he looked from the ID to the man standing before him. Elias
rolled his eyes. Every time they went to a bar the poor kid got carded. It
wasn’t their fault Elias looked like he was barely eighteen.
After one more final look, the guy waved them on through. Cason
walked ahead of them then went left as he passed the door. Elias went
straight toward the heart of the room where the dance floor was in full
swing. Lawson hung a right and headed toward the bar.
His head turned from side to side as he gazed around the crowded
room. Lawson turned to look the other way when another person crashed
into him. He turned to make sure the person was okay. His mouth went
dry, and his hands felt shaky. Sweat beaded up on his forehead, and he
licked his lips.
The man before him looked good enough to eat. His dark blue eyes
quickly turned away. Lawson apologized and blamed his clumsiness on
the crowd of people.
Before he could say anything else, the guy said it was okay then
hightailed it for the door. The man looked a little unsteady on his feet,
but he didn’t break his stride. Lawson couldn’t tear his eyes from the
man and found himself heading in the guy’s direction.
The mass of people slowed him down, but he finally was able to
push his way to the front door. Just as he jogged down the steps and
headed to the parking lot, a black car pulled out, not bothering to look
before driving off.
He watched as the man’s taillights turned out onto another street and
out of view. As he stared into the dark night, Lawson couldn’t help but
feel a sense of longing. Lawson had never been the commitment kind of
guy. No, he preferred his one-night stands. If he never grew attached to
his bed partners they couldn’t hurt him when they decided to pack up and
leave, or more so tell him to leave.
Lawson had abandonment issues that stemmed from his parents
kicking him out at such a young age. If it hadn’t been for Lachlan,
Lawson probably would have shot himself in the head and ended his
long life. He didn’t see the point in living forever if he had to do it all
alone. Which Lawson thought so odd now. He avoided relationships like
the plague but yet he feared being alone. Lachlan and the other warriors
at the compound had become his family and Lawson guessed that was all
he needed to be a complete person.
So as he stood there with his hands in his pockets staring after a man
who meant nothing to him, Lawson couldn’t shake the feeling that
somehow that man did mean something. He thought it might be a case of
déjà vu or some shit.
Shrugging it off as him just being tired, Lawson walked back toward
the entrance of the club. The bouncer waved him through, and Lawson
went in search of his friends.
Elias was out on the dance floor cozying up to a tall man with long
black hair. They grinded their hips together as they danced to the
thumping beat of the loud music blaring through the sound system. Elias’s
flirtatious personality came in handy. He could lure in a potential target
and garner information with the guy being none the wiser.
“Oh looky there.” Cason came up beside him, and Lawson nodded a
greeting to the man. “Looks like the little fellow might have found some
poor schlub to suck information out of.” Cason nudged him in the
shoulder. “Or just someone to suck.”
Lawson bit down on his lip at Cason’s joke. They were on a mission
per the council’s orders. They weren’t supposed to be assuaging their
own personal needs, but when the boss is away the workers will play.
And Elias was always ready for a go-round. His youth kept Elias with a
constant hard-on. If the wind blew just right the kid sprouted wood.
“I’m hoping for the former,” Lawson said as he leaned against the
railing lining the side of the dance floor. “It’s getting late, and I’m not
hopeful we’ll gather too much info tonight.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Cason took a swig off his beer bottle.
“Just once I’d like us to get lucky.”
“Excuse me?” Lawson asked in mock outrage. “You get lucky all the
time.”
Cason chuckled. “Not like that and you know it, friend. I just wished
we could find Sayer.” The man’s voice went sullen. “The more time that
passes the more I’m afraid we’ll never find him. Hell, even humans stop
being hopeful that a person is alive after forty-eight hours.”
Lawson knew what Cason meant but didn’t want to think too hard on
it. Thoughts of Sayer weighed down heavily on all the Warriors of the
Light. They were like brothers, and to lose one was like losing a part of
themselves.
“We need to stay positive.” He patted Cason on the back. “Hopeful
that little shit can work his god-given magic and get us some
information.”
“Don’t you mean his oral magic?” Cason teased.
Elias stayed out on the dance floor for at least an hour more. Cason
and Lawson made the rounds around the club trying to overhear any bits
of conversations that would involve some kind of paranormal
involvement, but they came up empty-handed. All the conversations this
early in the morning were alcohol-infused gibberish.
Club Menace was the center point for all the abductions in
Clearview. Lawson thought he’d see at least one paranormal being, but
nothing. The place seemed completely human. He had to think it was due
to the late hour. Something was going on here, there had to be.
“I’ve been flirting with both men and women, and I’ve got nothing.”
Cason rubbed a hand over his jaw. “If I have to smile one more time, I
swear my face will have permanent paralysis.”
“Oh, come on. A stud like you?” Lawson lifted an eyebrow. “This is
what you live for, having people hanging onto every word you say,” he
taunted.
“Fuck you, Lawson. You’re just jealous that both sexes prefer me
over you.” Cason cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips, giving
Lawson a kiss in the air. “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”
Lawson rolled his eyes and turned back toward the dance floor. He
saw Elias throw his head back and laugh at something his dance partner
said then reach up and kiss the guy on the mouth. After a couple of
minutes, Elias stepped back and headed toward them. His eyes met
Lawson and he gave a quick jab of his chin toward the door.
“Let’s go.” Lawson slapped a hand at Cason’s head and followed
several feet behind Elias. Once outside they walked back to their SUV.
Lawson pulled out his keys and popped the automatic lock and they
climbed inside. “What did you get?”
“Well according to my new friend, Kiefer, this place has an amazing
underground bar.”
“Huh?” Lawson asked as he reversed the car and pulled out onto the
road.
“You heard me right. Underneath Club Menace there’s another club
that you need to get invited into. Kiefer said that it’s more exclusive and
you need an invite to get down there.” Elias leaned forward in the seat.
“What takes place down there?” Cason asked.
“Kiefer said he’s only been down there once but said it was fucking
awesome.” Elias sang out the last word. Lawson and Cason both turned
to eye the man. “His words, not mine. Said when you get to the bottom of
the stairs you’re given a bile of this black stuff. They make you drink it
before you can go inside.”
“What is it?” Lawson hit his blinker and headed for the hotel closes
to the nightclub.
“He didn’t know. Just said it made him feel all relaxed and free. He
said it was better than alcohol, pot, or ecstasy.”
“Interesting.” Lawson mused as he drove. It wasn’t unheard of for a
place like that to have some kind of illegal activity going on inside it, but
how did it all link to the abductions and dead bodies?
“Now, the interesting thing is that Kiefer doesn’t remember getting
home the next day, and when he woke up he said he had strange markings
on his body. Small puncture wounds and bruising all located in his groin
region, armpits, and behind his knees. Sounds like vampires if I do say
so myself.” Elias sounded pleased with himself.
It did to Lawson as well, and from the look on Cason’s face he
agreed. With Club Menace being such a public place, the vamps
wouldn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to the establishment.
Leaving the bite marks where they wouldn’t be seen made sense, but
what led these vampires to kill their victims? If all they wanted was
fresh blood straight from the source, it seemed odd to start killing the
humans. But if William was in fact in town, that sadist bastard could be
wanting to have a little fun with his nightly meal.
“I think we should have Ben send one of our vampires to get in good
with these guys. The enchanted bracelets Klaus gave us to wear masks
our Warrior of the Light tattoos, but the vamps will be able to scent that
we’re not human. It’s either get a vampire to get in good with these
assholes or find a human to be bait.” Elias shrugged his shoulders.
“Safer to have a vamp infiltrate this place. Humans have a tendency to
get hurt and die.”
Klaus was one of the top witch hunters on the Council of Paranormal
Beings and was also a witch. He and his mate Astrid, an honest to god
fairy, thought it was best for them to hide their true identities. Catch more
bees with honey than vinegar, and if these freaks knew they were with
council headquarters they’d never get any information on Sayer.
He also had to agree getting a vampire to get involved would be
safer than getting a human to help out. Lawson didn’t know any humans
that he’d be willing to sacrifice for the cause. He was a Warrior of the
Light and didn’t get any satisfaction from killing people.
“I’ll call Ben in the morning,” Lawson announced, thinking it the best
thing to do.
They checked into the hotel and took the elevator up to the fifth floor
and went straight to their rooms. Cason and Elias shared a room and
Lawson got his own. He threw his bag on the desk sitting in the corner
and stripped off his clothes as he made his way to the bathroom. He
turned on the hot water and let the bathroom get nice and steamy before
stepping under the scalding spray.
Lawson breathed out a sigh of relief as the hot water cascaded over
his tired body. Being immortal didn’t mean he didn’t suffer from
everyday aches and pains. And, to be fair, saying immortal might be
stretching it a bit. Paranormal beings could be killed. It was just harder
to accomplish it.
He closed his eyes and let the water beat over his head. Images of
the man from the bar lit up behind his eyelids. Short chestnut-brown hair
shining in the low lighting of the club and the tight, hard body of the man
as he exited the door burned into his vision. He didn’t get a good look at
the guy’s face, but it didn’t seem to matter to Lawson’s cock. The hot
hard member jumped up from the trimmed blond bush of his pubes.
The memory of his rough and sharp voice had Lawson easing his
hand downward toward his straining erection. His fingers curled around
his shaft, and he gave a hard tug to the sensitive area. His balls tightened
as he began to move his hand up and down. Lawson let his head roll
back on his shoulders and let his imagination run away with him.
He envisioned the man on his knees licking the veiny underside of his
cock then dipping his tongue in his slit and drinking down his sticky
goodness. The mystery man’s hands would roam up his legs to grip his
hard, muscled ass and urge Lawson to fuck his face. Lawson would
greedily agree and thrust his hips hard and fast in short little burst until
he came down his partner’s willing throat.
Lawson used one hand to jack his dick and the other to tug at his
swollen balls. His hand sped up, and more pre-cum oozed out the tip to
mingle with the water running down his body. One more unforgiving pull
had him gasping out loud as his cock shot rope after rope of cum onto the
shower wall. His body shook and he felt even more drained of his
energy.
After a few moments Lawson’s breathing came under control, and he
quickly finished his shower. He toweled off and climbed, naked, into
bed. The soft hum of the air conditioner filled the room, keeping him
from falling asleep.
He couldn’t shake the man from the club from his brain. It seemed
absurd to him. He’d only briefly talked to the guy, and then the man took
off without even a backward glance. Lawson didn’t do this pining shit,
but he couldn’t help but hunger to see the man just one more time. To just
convince himself that the man meant nothing to him. But if the same
burning desire stirred in his stomach he might have bigger problems on
his hands. If the stranger was his mate, Lawson was fucked.
Chapter Four
The lights were dim and the loud thumping of the music caused his
heart to beat at a rapid tempo. The bodies dancing on the dance floor
seemed to move as if in slow motion. Their skin glistened with sweat as
they twisted and turned to the beat of the music.
Jeremy sat in a dark corner of the club in his wheelchair. He envied
those people. To be able to dance on their two legs was something he’d
never get to do again.
“Would you like to dance?”
Jeremy looked toward the sensual sound of the man’s voice. “I
can’t.” He shook his head in earnest, pointing down at the legs that were
not there anymore.
“Oh but you can.” The man’s voice took on a seductive allure. “You
just have to believe.”
Jeremy wanted to argue but as the man reached down, he took his
hand. The man’s eyes glowed in the low lightening, pulling Jeremy
closer. As if by magic the man pulled him to his feet. Jeremy gasped in
shock and grabbed the man by his hard biceps.
“What’s happening?” Jeremy’s heart beat wildly as he looked
down at his legs. “This isn’t possible.”
“Baby, anything is possible when you believe.” The man tilted his
head to the side and brushed his full, sturdy-feeling lips over his.
Jeremy hummed into the kiss, and a surge of lust and pride that this
gorgeous man wanted him ran through his veins. All the self-confidence
he’d been lacking since his accident vanished, and he pulled the man
closer to him, taking over the kiss. He plunged his tongue deep into the
moist haven of the stranger’s mouth, sucking and savoring every wild
flavor of the man’s taste.
The man’s hands ran down the length of Jeremy’s back, not stopping
until they rested right over his ass cheeks. He tugged Jeremy into him,
rubbing his hard length against his own. Jeremy growled his excitement
at the hard feeling lying up against his own and wrapped his arms around
the man’s shoulders.
Jeremy wasn’t sure how much time had passed, so lost in the
powerful kiss this stranger unleashed on him.
“Jeremy!” The familiar voice of his sister had him jerking away
from the man. “How could you do this to me? Why didn’t you save
me?”
His mouth gaped open as he looked upon his sister, standing in her
light blue nightshirt, blood oozing from her neck down to soak the front
of her shirt.
“Addison!” He shouted and tried to go to her, but the stranger
wouldn’t let go of him.
“It’s too late for her.” The man shook his head. “You can’t save
her from the dark.”
Jeremy looked at the man with a crazed look on his face. “What are
you talking about?” He whirled back around toward his sister to see
her eyes were glowing a soulless black, and she smiled at him. Two
pointed teeth pierced her lower lip, causing blood to run down her chin.
“Oh my god!” Jeremy shouted as he sat up in bed. The bright light
streaming in through the window had him shielding his eyes. His breath
came out in hard and even gasps as his dream replayed through his mind.
It was only a dream, but it scared the hell out of him.
Jeremy shuffled his bottom toward the side of the bed and angled his
wheelchair to climb into it. Once situated, he headed toward the shower.
He turned on the water and moved toward the sink to brush his teeth. As
he looked at his reflection he could see the bright blush that clung to his
high cheekbones.
Before his sister turned up in his dream it had been pleasant, no,
more than pleasant, amazing. He remembered the man that had bumped
into him the previous night. He had been attractive. Any other time
Jeremy would have offered to buy the man a drink, but those days of
flirting were past him now. The man looked strong, and he was beyond
gorgeous. His short blond hair and the sharp edges of his jawline made
him look like perfection personified. Jeremy being only half a man, a
broken man, would never have anything to offer the stranger.
He started to laugh. “Why am I beating myself up over this?” He
pulled open the door to his shower stall, arranged himself his shower
chair and began washing his hair.
The dream shook him up in more ways than one. He had to blame this
undeniable attraction toward a man he would probably never see again
on the fact that he hadn’t been laid in over a year.
But the images of his sister spooked him completely. The words she
spoke. She blamed him for what happened to her. He knew it was just a
dream, but he couldn’t shake the enormity of it. Jeremy did blame
himself for not protecting Addison. He should have kept her safe, but he
failed her.
Jeremy finished up with his shower then began the process of getting
dressed. It was Saturday and he had nothing special planned for the
daytime hours, but come eight o’clock he knew he’d be back at Club
Menace, sitting and waiting to see who the next victim would be. And if
he were lucky he could save them.
* * * *
Sleep didn’t come easy for Lawson. He kept thinking about the man
from the club and what the man might be to him. A paranormal being
finding their mate was a thing to celebrate and treasure, but Lawson
wasn’t sure he was ready for all that.
At a hundred and eighteen, one would think he was ready to settle
down. His brother and a few of his friends had, but Lawson didn’t like
the idea of being beholden to anyone other than his friends and his
brother. They had proven themselves to him.
Lachlan had done so by leaving with him the day their parents kicked
Lawson out of their pride for bringing shame on the family. Being gay
was something his parents couldn’t live with and chose to throw him out
like garbage for not being the perfect son they thought he was.
Lawson still didn’t understand his parent’s logic. He was their son.
They should have loved him no matter what, but they didn’t and in the
end his mother and father lost both their sons.
Sometimes Lawson felt guilty for letting Lachlan leave with him that
day. But anytime he tried to talk about it with his brother, Lachlan would
brush it off, saying he loved him and would never leave him.
Lawson loved his brother and appreciated his sacrifice. But it also
made sense over the years when he discovered that his brother was gay.
So, in essence, Lawson assumed Lachlan knew what his fate would have
been had he stayed with their parents.
Looking over at the bedside clock he noticed it was closing in on
nine and deiced it was time to get up and moving. He kicked his legs
over the edge of the bed and scooted to the end. He grabbed his phone
and punched in Ben’s number.
“What do you got for me?” Ben picked up after the first ring.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Lawson said sarcastically.
“Come on, king of the jungle, did you find anything out?” Ben teased.
Lawson being a lion shifter didn’t take it as the intended insult. He
actually liked the reference.
“Yes and no.” Lawson stood up and stretched and yawned into the
phone. His joints pulled and popped, helping ease some of his aches.
“No sign of Sayer, yet, but there is definitely something going on here.
Elias got cozy with one of the locals and found out that underneath Club
Menace is another club. From what this man stated, you have to be
invited and to you have to take this drug once inside.”
“Really?” Ben sounded intrigued. “What else?”
“That’s pretty much it.” It wasn’t, but he didn’t need to tell his boss
about his attraction to a man he’d never see again.
“Okay, well since you guys are there, I want you to investigate what
is happening in Clearview. From the looks of it a lot of people are just
disappearing and my gut says paranormal involvement.”
“My thoughts exactly and that’s kind of why I called,” Lawson said.
“Those bracelets Klaus gave us are working fantastic at allowing others
to not see our tattoos, but vamps can still sense that we are not human
and because of that we can’t expect to get an invite downstairs.”
“Go on,” Ben urged.
“Elian, Cason, and I agreed it would be better to have a vampire
come and help us out with this. They can get in good with these people
and maybe get downstairs to see what’s going on. We thought involving
a human would be too risky.”
“I agree. Who did you have in mind?” Ben asked.
Lawson hadn’t thought about it. “Whomever you think would be the
best man for the job,” he said. “I trust you.”
* * * *
Talk about famous last words. Lawson stood outside a small
airplane hangar watching two members of the Warriors of the Light
disembark from the single engine airplane. At first he thought his eyes
were deceiving him. He pinched his arm so hard he left a bruise.
“What’s up, dudes?” Trevor said cheerfully as he jogged up to them.
“I’m so ready to fight some bad guys.” His smile had nothing on the shine
from the sun. “Do I get a code name?”
Not that Lawson didn’t like Trevor. It was actually the opposite. He
loved the silly little vamp. Trevor was the kid brother he never had, and
in feeling that way he didn’t want to see anything happen to the young
man.
“For the love of god, shut the hell up!” Quinn barked.
Quinn was a different story. Lawson thought Quinn would be perfect
for this mission except for one minor detail. The man was a dick on his
best days and didn’t care much for social interaction. Quinn stood a half
a foot taller than him, and even with his handsome looks he was a scary
individual. One look from the man could make a person wet themselves.
Lawson had known Quinn for a long time but didn’t know much
about his past. Quinn wasn’t one for little heart to heart talks. The big
warrior typically kept to himself, that was, until Trevor came to live
with them.
Trevor was the younger cousin of Miles, Ben’s mate. The kid got
turned into a vampire by the dark warriors who had kidnapped Miles. It
had been a life changing thing for Trevor, but the kid took it in stride and
had come a long way since then. Lawson had to credit Quinn for that.
The man took Trevor under his wing and trained him in the ways of the
vampire and being a Warrior of the Light. But that didn’t mean the pair
got along. If anything, they fought like a quarrelling married couple.
“Quinn, bite me,” Trevor said in a saucy tone and made a gesture
like he was flipping his hair, which Lawson found quite funny since the
kid had short brown hair.
Trevor was a little guy, but due to his vampire abilities was stronger
than fuck. Lawson pitied anyone who underestimated that man. Trevor
had the most intriguing eyes Lawson had ever seen on a person. They
were hazel and sparkled different shades of green and brown depending
on the light. But besides having beautiful eyes, he had delicate facial
features that Lawson characterized as elfish. Only thing missing was
pointy ears.
Lawson often teased Trevor about Quinn. The two spent so much
time arguing, Lawson was convinced there was some sexual tension
there and thought maybe if the two hooked up and got whatever was in
their systems out, they’d get along. The two men were complete
opposites. Where Trevor was bright and bubbly, Quinn was dark and
brooding.
“I swear you will be the death of me,” Quinn mumbled under his
breath. Lawson barely heard it, and since Trevor had already begun
flapping his jaws, he felt confident the man didn’t hear a word Quinn
said.
Lawson walked over to Quinn and pulled him to the side. “So I take
it Ben thought Trevor would be the best vamp for this mission?” he
asked, hoping he concealed his concern.
“Ben thought it would be good for Trevor and that Trevor was ready
to go on missions with the other warriors,” Quinn said in a slow,
controlled tone, but his teeth clenched tight when he finished speaking.
Lawson could hear the man’s teeth grinding together. “And he assigned
me to be his fucking handler.”
“Hmm.” Lawson couldn’t disagree with Ben’s thinking. Trevor had
been training for almost a year now and had made big improvements.
“He does have one of those personalities that people flock to. If anyone
can get involved with those vampires at Club Menace, I bet he can.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Quinn grumbled.
“Hey, Quinn.” Lawson rested a hand on the larger man’s broad
shoulder. “We’ll keep him safe. Plus, Trevor is a wiry little bastard who
fights dirty. He’ll be fine.”
Quinn nodded his head then followed behind Elias and Trevor as
they walked toward the SUV. Cason helped carry the men’s bags and
followed along beside Quinn.
Lawson looked up at the darkening sky. They had to hurry and get
back to the city. They needed to get to the club and hoped Trevor could
work that charismatic attitude of his, get an invite to the basement of
Club Menace, and learn what might be going on in this town.
As he climbed behind the wheel, a small part of him hoped that the
mystery man from the night before might be there again. Not that he cared
or anything, but he wanted to see if he still felt that same spark. If he
didn’t then he’d know it was a simple attraction only, but he had to be
sure.
Chapter Five
After waiting for Trevor to decide on the perfect outfit, which
consisted of skintight blue jeans that rode real low on his ass and an
equally tight-fitting pink tank top, they headed to the club. Sure, the hour
and half it took felt like an eternity, but Lawson had to admit the little
vamp looked damn good.
Lawson wasn’t sure how Trevor squeezed himself into those jeans or
how he was able to breathe let alone sit down. Trevor’s tan little nipples
shown through the threadbare fabric of his tank top, highlighting his
sculpted chest perfectly for all to see.
Quinn tried to make him change, but Trevor wasn’t having any of it.
“Leave me alone!” Trevor shouted. “I’m supposed to be attracting
these men, not trying to avoid them. God gave me this body so I’d be
doing a disservice by not showing it off.” Trevor spun around in a circle
with his arms out to the side. “Come on, you have to admit I look hot.”
“You bet your ass you do,” Cason crooned.
Quinn turned to look at the wolf shifter and snarled at him. “Get the
fuck inside!” Quinn ordered, and Cason and Elias headed for the door.
“Well I’m going to go, too.” Trevor started to walk off then turned
back to glare at Quinn. “When you get inside keep your distance. We
don’t need people avoiding me because of my babysitter and his asshole
personality.”
Before Quinn could reply, Trevor sauntered off, wiggling his tight
little ass the whole way to the door.
“He drives me insane.” Quinn yanked the hair tie holding back his
hair from the ponytail. Trevor could hear the man’s fingernail rake over
his scalp. “If anything happens to him…” His voice trailed off.
Lawson gave his friend a curious look. Sure, he didn’t want anything
to happen to Trevor, but Quinn seemed to be taking everything that
involved Trevor personally. He had to wonder what else was going on
there, if anything.
“Nothing will.” Lawson was quick to reassure. “Trevor’s a warrior
and he also has the four of us here. So let’s get to it, big guy.” He placed
the palm of his hand on the small of Quinn’s back. “I’ll even buy the first
round of drinks.”
Inside the club the walls shook from the heavy bass blaring from the
speakers, and the swarm of bodies seemed to move in time with the beat
like a wave coming in off a swell. Men and women packed all along the
inside of the building. The smell of sweat and sex polluted the air. It
would appear more than just dancing was taking place in here. If it
weren’t for Lawson being a lion shifter he might not have picked up on
all the flavorful scents in the air.
Lawson followed Quinn to the bar and ordered a beer. As he waited,
Lawson took a look around, looking for any signs of the man from the
other night. So far no sign of him and relief eased over his body and
calmed his stressed-out nerves. Lawson wasn’t sure what he’d do if he
saw him again.
“Dear god,” Quinn said in disgust. “He’s only just got here and
already he’s climbing some guy like a fucking tree.”
Lawson turned around to look out across the dance floor. Trevor was
going hot and heavy with some guy, and from behind a woman humped
her lady bits into Trev’s ass. He knew Trevor to be gay, but apparently
he was down for anything. Trevor had his arm wrapped around her from
behind and had a handful of her ass in his grip. They all three looked to
be having a good time.
“Quinn, don’t stress about it. It’s just work related.” Lawson took a
drink of his beer in the hope of masking his laughing. It never failed.
Trevor worked his god-given magic and people ate it up. Now they just
had to keep their fingers crossed that it led them to the problem causing
vampires plaguing Clearview.
After a few hours of watching Trevor bounce from one dance partner
to the next, Lawson found himself getting tired. He didn’t know how the
man did it. For two solid hours Trevor shook his ass on the dance floor.
He spotted Trevor on several occasions as he would sneak off to a dark,
secluded corner with someone. They’d both come back smiling and red
faced. Lawson couldn’t say for certain what Trevor had been doing, but
it didn’t matter if it got them information on what was going on in the
club below them.
“I can’t watch this anymore.” Quinn slammed down his beer bottle.
“I’m going walk around to see if I can pick up on anything.”
Lawson stared at his friend’s retreating back. Something seemed off
about Quinn, but Lawson couldn’t put his finger on it. They were all
warriors and fought for the same cause and on occasion had to use any
means necessary to get the information they needed. Be it killing, beating
up, or sleeping with another person to get the desired result. He thought
Quinn shouldn’t be taking it so personally.
After finishing his beer, Lawson stood up. Mother Nature was
calling, and he made his way to the restrooms. Once he was done he
couldn’t get out of the bathroom quick enough. The sounds of sex
mingling with the smell of cum filled the small room. His own dick had
grown so hard he could barely pee a consistent stream.
Lawson pushed through the dancing bodies, getting groped the whole
way back to the bar. He ordered up another beer and turned to lean
against the solid surface and survey the area. His head bobbed up and
down as bodies swayed in time together. It was hard to believe that
beneath them another club existed. Lawson had to assume they had good
soundproofing because it was so loud in Club Menace he could only
image that the thump of the base and the vibration of dancing bodies
traveled down below.
The bartender tapped him on the shoulder and handed off his beer to
Lawson. Lawson accepted it and took a drink. His eyes roamed over the
crowd one more time. The lights had gotten dimmer, and without his
keen eyesight he might not have been able to see much, but he did, and
the man from the other night stood in the shadows, leaning against the
railing lining the dance floor. Lawson couldn’t believe his luck, or his
misfortune if he thought too hard on it.
Tonight the man wore a pair of dark jeans and a loose-fitting gray
button-down shirt. The baggy clothes hid his body, but Lawson could
sense the strength and hard muscles that lay underneath, just begging to
be touched by him.
Lawson slowly made his way over to the man, sidestepping people
as he passed. The man never looked up, and Lawson took advantage of
it. He came to a stop right behind the man. The place was so crowded
the man must not have thought it weird to have someone so close to him.
Lawson leaned forward and took a deep breath. The clean scent of the
man’s soap and the man’s own natural aroma tingled in his nose. His
fingers itched to reach out and touch the man. To wrap his arms around
his waist and sway with the music.
Just then someone bumped Lawson in the back and sent him forward,
crashing into the other man. On instinct he reached out his arms and
braced his hands on the railing on either side of the man he had just been
sniffing, trapping him.
“What the hell?” The man looked over his shoulder, and his hard
eyes bore into Lawson.
The dark blue of his eyes looked like waves rushing to shore in the
moonlight. Lawson could get lost in those eyes. He tightened his hands
around the metal railing, afraid he might fall to his knees.
“You,” the other man said suddenly, his eyes locking with Lawson’s.
Lawson tore his eyes away from the man’s piercing blue eyes to
slide down his face. The hard lines of the man’s face seemed to soften as
he looked at Lawson in shock. His mouth hung slightly open, and Lawson
so desperately wanted to lean forward and taste the ripeness his mouth
had to offer.
“Yeah, we bumped into each other last night.” Lawson coughed to
clear his throat. “Sorry about that.”
The man tried to turn around in Lawson’s embrace, but there wasn’t
enough room and regrettably Lawson had to let go. He stood up straight
but didn’t take a step back.
“It wasn’t your fault.” The man laughed nervously.
Silence carried on between them longer than considered normal.
They both stared at one another but would quickly look away when they
made full-on eye contact.
“Lawson,” he said in a rush.
“Excuse me?” The man leaned closer and dipped his head down,
tilting his ear closer to Lawson’s mouth.
“My name, it’s Lawson.” He held out his hand for the man to shake.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” The man took his hand. “Jeremy.”
A tingling sensation shot across his fingertips to run up his arm. He
swallowed down his groan as the desire he felt caused his cock to fill.
Lawson’s hand tightened around Jeremy’s, and he didn’t want to let go.
The attraction he felt toward this man was too strong to be anything other
than the pull of a mate. His heart started to race, and his hands began to
tremble. It was as if a jolt of adrenaline raced through his veins.
This can’t be happening. I’m not ready for this. Lawson’s inner
dialogue echoed in his head. What if he doesn’t feel the same way?
What if he tosses me aside like my parents did? Lawson couldn’t shake
away those doubts. Deep down he knew he wanted to find love but was
too afraid of how it would end.
Being cast off by his parents who were supposed to love him
unconditionally had changed Lawson on the inside. He had become the
type of person who believed the cup was half empty not full. Since that
day he had felt like he was only half living. Losing his parents’ love
hollowed him out in a way that Lawson wasn’t sure could ever be fixed.
What would he do if his mate did the same thing? Not knowing
frightened Lawson the most. It would be a pain he wasn’t sure he could
survive.
“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked.
Lawson looked into Jeremy’s eyes and eased his hold on the other
man’s hand. Right then something hit Lawson. If he let his fear rule him,
he’d never truly live. Life was about taking chances, and he needed to
make himself see where this went. Jeremy could prove him wrong. This
man could fill that place in his heart that he always thought would be
vacant of the adoration a lover could give.
“Yeah, I’m great.” He let go of Jeremy’s hand, searching for
something else to say. “So, come here often?” He groaned internally as
his eyes fell shut.
“Uh, no.” Jeremy smiled, showcasing a set of perfect white teeth.
“Man, I’m sorry.” Lawson wanted to explain. “I didn’t mean to say
that cheesy line. I’m just nervous,” he admitted.
“Really? I couldn’t tell.” Jeremy laughed. “But nonetheless, still
flattering.”
Lawson smiled and motioned toward the dance floor. “Would you
like to dance?”
Jeremy’s face went pale, and Lawson could see the quick up-and-
down bobbing of his throat as he swallowed. The man looked from the
dance floor down to his feet then back to Lawson. “I think I’ll pass. I’m
not much of a dancer.”
“Just one dance.” Lawson didn’t want to let the man get away. “We
don’t have to do that jumping around full-on body grind they’re doing out
there.” He took a step closer until his chest brushed up against Jeremy’s.
“Just a gentle sway of two guys having a relaxing get-to-know-you kind
of thing.” He flashed a playful smile. “What do you say, Jeremy? Don’t
shoot me down. I don’t think my heart could take it.”
Jeremy stared longingly at the people dancing then finally agreed.
“Okay, just one dance. That’s it.” He held up his finger.
“Deal.” Lawson took Jeremy’s hand and intertwined their fingers. On
wobbly legs Lawson led the way to the dance floor.
The song changed rhythm, not as fast as the previous song. Lawson
shouldered his way through the crowd until he found a vacant spot. He
stopped and turned to face Jeremy. He brought one of Jeremy’s hands up
to rest on his shoulder then guided the other to his other shoulder. Jeremy
grinned at him as he shook his head from side to side but didn’t pull
away. Lawson wrapped his arms around Jeremy’s waist and pulled him
closer and started to sway to the music.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Jeremy laughed.
“What? Are my dance moves that bad?” Lawson teased as he edged
closer to Jeremy, feeling the heat seep off the man’s body.
“No, it just reminds me of when I was a kid at a school dance. My
sister and I use to laugh about how everyone danced the same way. Just
swaying back and forth like a pendulum.” Jeremy stopped laughing and a
saddened look crept over his handsome face.
“You okay?” Lawson asked, sensing the man’s distress.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Jeremy’s arms slid further over Lawson’s
shoulders, bringing their bodies even closer together. A shudder quaked
over Lawson’s body as Jeremy rested his head on his shoulder.
Not wanting to break the spell they were under, Lawson just held
Jeremy tighter and let the music move them along.
Lawson could feel the solid form of the man’s body under his
fingertips. His body heat so hot, Lawson started to sweat from being so
close to the other man. He closed his eyes and fell into the sensation of
being in this man’s embrace.
All too soon the song ended, and another started up. The crash of
bodies felt thicker and someone bumped into Lawson’s shoulder,
breaking through the serene bubble that had been surrounding them.
Jeremy brought his head up and their eyes met. They were mere
inches apart, and Lawson’s eyes fell to stare at the flushed, plump lips of
Jeremy’s mouth. The music seemed to be drowned out, and the only
sound Lawson could hear was the pounding of his heart. Suddenly
Jeremy pushed back from him and headed for the outer edge of the dance
floor.
“Jeremy!” Lawson shouted, but the music was too loud for Jeremy to
hear him. He didn’t understand the change in the other man. Lawson
forcibly pushed people out of his way as he chased after his mate.
Mate?
Lawson stumbled to a stop as he watched Jeremy get swallowed up
by the crowd. A warm, fuzzy feeling surrounded his heart and made his
hands feel numb. Lawson’s lion acknowledged Jeremy as his mate and
now the beast inside him demanded Lawson go and claim him. To
become one with his fated mate.
Coming back to himself, Lawson chased after the other man. He used
his inhuman strength to push people out of his way. Wherever Jeremy
was going, Lawson wanted to be there with the other man. To be his
source of love and comfort and protection.
Lawson hustled toward the side exit door and got a glimpse of
Jeremy’s brown hair as he slipped outside. Once he caught up to the
man, he wouldn’t allow him to escape him again. They needed to have a
serious talk. Lawson wasn’t sure he was ready to take that leap, but he
had to give Jeremy a chance. To be proven wrong and that he was
loveable.
Chapter Six
Jeremy pushed through the crowd not daring to look behind him. The
only reason for being at the club was to find evidence on his sister’s
disappearance, not to become enthralled by some guy. Granted the man
was a sight to behold. His short, spiky blond hair sprouted out from his
scalp and looked brighter against his tan skin. Jeremy could have sworn
he could smell the scents of summer rolling off of Lawson’s body, warm
and sweet.
Lawson had youthful features with a straight nose. Not a wrinkle
marred his forehead, so Jeremy assumed the man had to be younger than
him. At twenty-five Jeremy felt like fifty and thought he looked the part.
Lack of sleep and eating had taken its toll on his body. He was surprised
a man as beautiful as Lawson would even look twice at him.
The night before when he briefly talked to Lawson, Jeremy didn’t
think he’d ever see him again. He didn’t want to know what Lawson
would say or do once he found out the truth. His outward appearance hid
the horror that lay underneath his clothes. He was half a man who would
never be whole in the sense that a man like Lawson deserved.
Lawson looked the type that liked to be active. With his broad
shoulders, solid legs, and strong arms, the man probably worked out
twice a day, seven days a week. Along with outdoor sports, running,
hiking, things that Jeremy didn’t feel comfortable doing because his
wheelchair wouldn’t allow for it. Even with his prosthetics he wasn’t
that agile on his legs to participate in much of anything that would
entertain a man like Lawson.
Jeremy couldn’t get past his deformity. Every time he looked down at
what should be there, he was reminded of what would never be. Two
scarred-up stumps were all that remained of his legs.
He was afraid that once Lawson caught sight of his lack of legs he’d
take off. The thought of not seeing Lawson again pained him. A fiery hot
poker burned a hole through his chest. It just didn’t seem fair for him to
finally, after all this time, be so attracted to another man that his cock had
hardened painfully and was ready to blow just from one simple dance.
He’d been all but lost in the sensations Lawson’s body and touch
provided him when he caught a glimpse of black-as-night hair and ash-
pale skin. Not thinking twice about it, he pushed away from Lawson and
followed the other man.
As he made his way toward the back exit he could faintly hear his
name being called, but he was too revved up to care. The image of the
night his sister had been taken from his house had been etched into his
mind. The man, who had cradled her almost lovingly to his chest, with
blood dripping from his mouth, would be something he’d never forget.
Finally, after all the long nights of sitting and watching, he spotted
the man. He couldn’t let this chance slip away. That monster had taken
his sister from him. He deserved to die. Hell, Jeremy thought he’d be
doing the world a favor by getting rid of such a creation. Vampires
weren’t meant to be in the real everyday human world. He had to die.
Jeremy followed the man off the dance floor and around toward the
back of the club. The man took the side exit, and Jeremy followed
behind. He urged his hips to move faster to keep up, but with his legs he
could only move so fast. Finally he pushed through the side door and
stood in a dank and dirty alley.
A soft breeze blew across his heated skin, and the moonlight above
was his only source of light. Jeremy moved forward into the night,
stepping over cigarette butts and discarded beer bottles. The man he had
followed seemed to have disappeared, but that wasn’t possible. Jeremy
had been right behind him. Even with his slow movements the man
couldn’t have gotten that far ahead of him. Jeremy turned his head from
side to side but didn’t see anything.
“You just never give up, do you?”
Jeremy slowly turned around to see the face that haunted his dreams.
He had always hoped he would find the piece of shit that had taken his
sister but now that he had, he didn’t know what to say.
“Had I known you would be this big a problem, I would have killed
you that night six months ago.” The man’s grin looked evil and distorted
in the shadowy light.
As the man walked slowly closer to him, Jeremy took a step back.
“Oh yeah, then why didn’t you?” Jeremy asked, but he kept moving
further away from the man. He hated to admit it but a small part of him
was terrified of this thing, because this wasn’t a man.
“Because, you stupid human, I was asked not to.” The man glared at
him. “But since you came so willingly out here to follow me, I think it’s
only fair to say I acted in self-defense by ripping out your throat.”
Jeremy stopped moving. Something the man said echoed in his ears.
“Who asked you not to hurt me?” He had to know. It seemed important
that he find this out.
The man waved a finger from side to side and started to laugh. “I
don’t think so, human.” He leant forward and whispered. “I’ll never
tell.” The man flashed a smile, showcasing two very sharp and pointy
teeth.
In a blink of an eye, with movements faster than a human, the man
leapt forward. Jeremy hobbled to the side but wasn’t fast enough and
landed hard against the side of the dumpster lining the back wall of the
club.
The man’s long, cold fingers wrapped around Jeremy’s neck, his
fingernails digging into Jeremy’s tender flesh. Jeremy grabbed at the
man’s hands, but he wouldn’t let go. He just laughed and squeezed
harder.
Jeremy’s vision started to blur as he struggled for his next breath.
The crushing pain on his windpipe had tears springing to his eyes. His
strength couldn’t compete with this man’s. He wasn’t human, and Jeremy
couldn’t fight him.
His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. This was it. The man who
had killed his sister was strangling the life out of him. He tried to fight
him, but his body had gone limp and spots flashed before his eyes.
As the last of his fighting breath left him, the only thing he could think
about was Lawson. It seemed weird even while in this predicament that
he would think of a man he had just met. Lawson’s ruggedly handsome
face and alluring brown eyes that seemed to glow when they landed on
him. It pained him to think he’d never see that again.
“Let go of him!”
The vampire turned to glare at the man standing in the doorway.
Jeremy wanted to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Lawson’s strong
and solid body standing there. His forehead furrowed, and he stood with
his feet apart, glaring at the man. The man lifted his arm a fraction until
Jeremy’s feet lifted off the ground, and then he tossed him toward the
ground.
“This doesn’t concern you.” The vampire turned toward Lawson.
“Oh but it does.” Lawson charged at the other man.
Jeremy gasped for breath as he pulled himself up into a seated
position. He just sat there and watched, unable to pull himself to his feet
without help. His jeans had been torn when he fell, and the light flesh
color of his artificial leg stood out noticeably under his pant leg.
Lawson pushed off his feet and flew through the air as the vampire
jumped up. They collided in midair and dropped back to the ground. The
vampire’s nails had lengthened and were black and curled at the tips.
Long, pointed fangs hung from his upper jaw, and the man hissed at
Lawson.
The air surrounding Lawson seemed to shimmer, and as if by magic,
Lawson’s face began to shift into something not human. His nose merged
into what Jeremy would classify as a snout, and golden fur sprung up
along his face. Jeremy thought he looked between a man and a lion, but
that couldn’t be possible.
A loud, ear-piercing roar had him grabbing for his ears. Like the
vampire that had killed his sister, Lawson wasn’t human.
“Oh look what we have here, a shifter.” The Vampire laughed and
pointed at Lawson. “You think you can go up against me?” He jabbed a
finger into his chest.
“Yeah, I do, leach.” Even with his distorted facial appearance,
Jeremy could see the smirk on Lawson’s furry face. “Bring it on, bitch.”
The vampire snarled and ran at Lawson. Lawson braced his feet and
met the man head on. When they collided it sounded like two cars
crashing against one another. Then the men were leaping in the air, taking
swipes at each other with their clawed fingers.
With all the noise they made Jeremy was surprised no one came to
investigate. As the two men fought, Jeremy tried to use the side of the
dumpster to pull himself into a standing position but his efforts were
useless. His body was still weak from the effects of being choked.
“Come on, vamp, is that all you got?” Lawson’s voice sounded
garbled as he spoke around a massive set of teeth.
“Stupid shifter,” the vampire growled and lunged forward.
Lawson easily dodged the move and openly laughed at the vampire.
He then swung his foot out and connected with the vampire’s chest
sending him backward across the alley. Jeremy watched, unable to look
away.
The shock from seeing the man he was attracted to turn into a big
hairy cat was trumped by his worry for the man. He might have just met
Lawson, but he didn’t want to see anything happen to him.
The vampire staggered to his feet. “Fuck this.” He brushed off his
pants. “I’ll see you around.” He looked at Jeremy when he spoke.
A chill ran down his spine at the promise in the man’s words. In a
move straight out of the movies, the vampire bent his knees and jumped
upward. He cleared the rooftop without trouble. Jeremy sat there staring
up at nothing. The man had already vanished.
“Jeremy, are you okay?”
He turned his attention to Lawson as the man’s clear and coherent
voice called his name. Whatever Lawson had changed into had gone
back to normal. A human face stared down at him.
“Yeah, I’m fi…” He never got the chance to finish.
“Oh my god, you don’t have legs!” Lawson exclaimed.
Jeremy followed Lawson’s gaze down as the man stared at his torn
jeans. His heart plummeted to the ground. What he feared would happen
when Lawson discovered the truth had come to pass. The man he so
desperately wanted looked down at him with pity and disappointment in
his eyes. What would Jeremy do now?
Chapter Seven
Lawson, as nicely as possible, pushed his way through the crowd.
He kept standing on the balls of his feet to keep an eye on Jeremy’s
retreating back. The man didn’t move too awfully fast, but he seemed to
hit every open gap on the dance floor and broke through the sea of
people.
“Where you going in such a hurry?” a slender man asked as he clung
to Lawson’s arm like a drowning man would a life preserver.
“Sorry, man, not interested.” Lawson tried to disengage his arm from
the man, but the little guy wouldn’t let go. “Look, I appreciate the offer
but I’m here with someone else,” he said in a stern voice.
The man stuck out his lower lip in a pout but relinquished his hold on
Lawson’s arm. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked back toward
where he last seen Jeremy but the man was gone. Lawson rushed
forward and spun in a circle looking for any sign of his mate.
“Damn I need to stop thinking about that,” Lawson mumbled to
himself. The more time that passed, he couldn’t help but think in those
terms. There was no denying it, Jeremy belonged to him. The trick now
was finding the other man and telling him the good news. “Fuck, I hope
he thinks it’s good news.”
Still not seeing his mate, Lawson closed his eyes. He called on his
other senses to find Jeremy. A small trace of Jeremy’s cologne clung to
the hot, humid air. He followed his nose to the back hallway.
He came to a stop at a large black door and he turned his head to the
side to listen. The sounds of raised voices had him pushing open the
door. The metal groaned and creaked from the force he used.
What he saw caused a brief moment of panic before he got his brain
to focus. A man had Jeremy backed up against the trash dumpster,
squeezing the life from his body.
Lawson braced himself and his nostrils flared with anger. The stale
stench of blood crept under his nose. He’d met enough vampires to know
the signs. A bloodsucker had his fucking nasty-ass claws touching his
mate.
In his rage and fear over his mate, Lawson shifted into his half-man,
half-lion form and fought with the vampire. Like the cowards his kind
were, the vampire took off, well, more like up. The man jumped into the
air and landed on the roof of the building next to Club Menace then was
gone.
Lawson forced his body to relax, and his lion released its hold on
him and allowed him to come back to his human body. Back to the facial
features his mate recognized.
“Jeremy, are you okay?” Lawson asked as he looked over his mate’s
body, looking for any signs of trauma. Humans weren’t as sturdy as
paranormal beings. Where a paranormal being could be killed, it was a
lot harder to do. Humans were like flowers, fragile and easy to kill.
As Lawson looked down at Jeremy’s slumped over body, his eyes
landed on the tear in material right below Jeremy’s knee. At first he
thought his mate had been injured or just really pale, but then it hit him.
He looked further down and noticed Jeremy’s other foot had metal and
flesh-covered plastic poking out the hem of his pants.
“Oh my god, you don’t have legs!” Lawson didn’t mean to shout it,
but talk about a shock. By the looks of it his mate didn’t have any legs.
Lawson watched as the man struggled to stand but couldn’t seem to
get his legs to work. He stood there frozen, unable to help. The man that
was meant to be his was injured in such a way that had taken his legs.
What had caused this? Lawson automatically went on the defense. Even
without two functioning legs he still wanted Jeremy. He wanted to love
and protect this man no matter what.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed that,” Jeremy said in a sarcastic tone, his
lips pulled back over his teeth as he struggled to get up.
“No I didn’t mean it like that.” He reached out to help Jeremy and the
man pushed his hands away.
“Just leave me alone!” Jeremy shouted. “I can do this on my own. I
don’t need your fucking pity.”
Lawson took a step back from the force of Jeremy’s words. The man
was angry with him. He couldn’t understand why. Yes, he had been
shocked to discover that his mate didn’t have any legs, but it wasn’t a
deal breaker by any means.
Jeremy continued to try and get up. Sweat broke out across his
forehead, and his hair became dampened with perspiration. One thing
Lawson could say about his mate was that he never gave up. Without a
good handle to grab onto all of Jeremy’s efforts wouldn’t work.
“Here, let me help you.” Lawson used one hand to grab Jeremy by
the wrist then placed his other hand under his armpit.
“I don’t need help,” Jeremy said through clenched teeth.
“Yes you do!” Lawson snapped. “Don’t be an ass. If you don’t let me
help you, you’ll be here all night.”
Jeremy looked up and down the alley seeing that his options were
limited and allowed Lawson to pull him to a standing position. Lawson
let go of Jeremy’s arm and moved to stand in front of him. He rested his
hands on Jeremy’s waist as the man moved his legs one at a time.
“See? That wasn’t so hard was it?” Lawson smiled at his mate.
“Hard? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jeremy pushed his hands
against Lawson’s chest, sending him back a few steps. “Just get out of
my way.”
Caught off guard, Lawson stumbled back a few feet. His mate was
strong, but not stronger than him. Lawson quickly righted himself and
hustled after his mate.
“You know, a thank you would suffice.” Lawson walked close to
Jeremy’s side. The other man kept his head forward and back straight
and acted as if Lawson wasn’t even there. That pissed Lawson off. “Why
are you being such a dick?”
“Fuck off, Lawson.” Jeremy didn’t even bother to look at him when
he spoke.
The frustration inside Lawson started to boil over. He could
understand that his mate might be embarrassed by needing his help or
that he didn’t have legs, but it wasn’t a reason to be rude. Especially
toward one’s mate.
Lawson reached out and grabbed Jeremy by the arm. Jeremy, not
expecting the hard grasp, started wavering on his feet. With his fast
reflexes, Lawson pulled Jeremy to him until they stood chest to chest.
Jeremy’s light gasp of surprise had his breath fanning across
Lawson’s face. The smell of beer clung to the man’s breath and Lawson
hungered for a sip. His eyelids started to fall and he looked at Jeremy
through lust-filled eyes.
“The only fucking is me fucking you until you learn some proper
manners,” Lawson said in a low tone close to Jeremy’s lips. He grinned
at the man’s shocked expression, and his mouth fell open. “You shouldn’t
treat your man like this.”
Before Jeremy had a chance to argue, Lawson crushed his mouth
over his mate’s. Jeremy’s lips were thick and soft and pliable under
Lawson’s skillful mouth. He nibbled and sucked on the supple flesh then
bit down. Like he predicted, the man opened his mouth and Lawson dove
in.
The wet, warm heaven of his mate’s mouth had his dick thundering to
life. He wrapped his arms tighter around Jeremy’s waist and pushed his
hardened length into Jeremy’s. The distinct feel of his mate’s erect cock
had Lawson wanting to punch his fist into the air. Jeremy’s body
betrayed him. The man wanted this even if he acted like he didn’t.
Jeremy moaned into the kiss and brought his arms around to cling to
Lawson’s neck. Lawson let Jeremy have some of the control, not wanting
his mate to feel like he didn’t have a say in this.
The kiss lingered on, and Jeremy’s tongue dueled with Lawson. An
erotic dance of lips and tongue. Lawson could feel his cock swelling in
his jeans and knew he’d come soon. Jeremy’s hips gyrated against his,
and Lawson reached down to grip the man’s ass in his palms. Hard,
round muscle filled his hands, and Lawson urged him even closer.
“Oh, god, I’m going to come.” Jeremy pulled back from the kiss and
his head fell back on his shoulders.
“Me, too,” Lawson growled against Jeremy’s neck as he sucked and
tongued the salty skin.
“Fuck! Shit!” Jeremy panted as his release shook through his body.
Lawson sped up his hips and pushed his cock harder into Jeremy’s.
The warmth from Jeremy’s cum seeped through his jeans, and the sweet
scent of his spunk had Lawson roaring out his release. Wave after wave
of ecstasy poured out of his body. Nothing ever before felt as powerful
as this orgasm.
Their combined heaving heavy breathing was the only sound Lawson
could hear in the alley. He kept his arms around his mate, not ready to let
him go. Lawson rubbed his forehead into Jeremy’s shoulder marking his
mate in his scent.
“I need to go,” Jeremy said suddenly.
“Huh?” Lawson looked at his mate with disbelief, letting his hands
drift down to grip Jeremy’s ass right where his back pockets sat. “Why?”
Jeremy tried to step away, but Lawson wouldn’t let him escape. The
man’s dark blue eyes darted to the side, and his tongue snaked out to wet
his swollen lips. Lawson found all this very distracting and wanted to
lean forward and kiss away his mate’s misgivings.
“Just let me go, please.” Jeremy said please almost as an
afterthought.
Lawson could see the sadness and pain in Jeremy’s eyes and didn’t
want to overwhelm the man. Something else was going on with his mate,
and he had every intention of finding out exactly what that was, but not in
this dirty fucking alley.
“Okay.” Lawson brought up his left hand to place a finger under
Jeremy’s chin. “I’ll let you go for now.”
Jeremy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes but gave a quick nod of
his head.
Lawson watched as his mate walked away into the night. His lion
wanted to go after its mate, but Lawson held himself back because soon
enough he’d be at his mate’s front door.
With a sly smile on his face, Lawson brought his right hand out from
behind his back and flipped through the wallet in his hand.
“You can run all you want”—Lawson pulled out Jeremy’s license
that had his address on it—“Jeremy Langston, but I’ll always find you.”
He should have felt guilty for stealing his mate’s wallet, but Lawson
knew Jeremy wouldn’t have willingly given him his address. So times
like this called for a little street smarts and picking the pocket of the man
he cared for. Jeremy would forgive him in time.
Lawson pulled open the door he came out of and headed back into
the club. Music blared, and it was just as jam packed as it had been
when he went outside. He went straight to the restroom to wipe himself
up. The cooling spunk in his boxer briefs was becoming uncomfortable.
He spotted Quinn back at the bar and shouldered his way through the
crowd.
“What are you smiling about?” Quinn lifted his beer bottle to his lips
and took a drink.
“Oh nothing.” The muscles in his face ached from smiling. Sure, his
mating wasn’t going as planned, but just knowing there was a person out
there meant to be his made Lawson feel good. The want building in his
chest for Jeremy outweighed his fear of the unknown. The passion he felt
from that one kiss told him Jeremy wanted him, too. The rest they could
figure out later.
“Nothing my ass.” Quinn nudged him with his elbow. “Come on, I
could use some good news.”
Lawson looked at Quinn and scrunched up his face while he debated
it. Quinn’s quiet and brooding nature made Lawson think he was a safe
person to break the news to and get his reaction.
“Okay.” Lawson grabbed Quinn’s beer from his hand and took a long
gulp then set it down. “I found my mate.” He hissed out a breath as the
frosty liquor stung his throat.
“I’ll be damn.” Quinn took a drink, finishing off his beer. “A
congratulations is in order.” He patted Lawson on the back.
“Well, I’m not so sure about that just yet. Jeremy hightailed it out of
here before I could tell him. We kissed and the man was into it, but then
he freaked out.” It was a blow to his ego, but he didn’t feel like lying and
making it sound like everything was coming up roses.
“Oh, you got a skittish one, huh?” Quinn asked.
“To be fair, it could have been the vampire that was outside kicking
his ass before I got there, or that he’s embarrassed because he doesn’t
have legs.” The words spewed from his mouth, and he was unable to
stop himself.
Quinn narrowed his eyes as if gauging if Lawson was messing with
him. “Are you fucking with me?”
“Ah, no.” Lawson turned back to the bar and ordered another beer.
“First off, no legs? Like he literally has no legs?” Quinn asked.
Lawson accepted the beer from the bartender and took a swig. “Yep.
Not sure what happened to cause that but yeah, he doesn’t have legs.
He’s walking around on those prosthetic thingies.”
“No shit?” Quinn looked surprise.
“No shit,” Lawson responded.
“I have no clue what to say about that, but it doesn’t seem to matter to
you.” Lawson shook his head. “Good. But this vampire thing, what’s that
about?”
“Not sure. I didn’t get the chance to ask him. Got a little distracted.”
His face flushed at the memory of rubbing one off in the alley with his
mate.
“Understandable.” Quinn smiled at him, and it was Lawson’s turn to
be shocked. The man never smiled. “But we knew that vampires were
here in this town. My kind tend to love the nightlife. So cliché if you ask
me. I swear all the shit written about vampires has these fools thinking
they need to live the part like in some movie script.”
Quinn, being a vampire, knew what he was talking about. The witch
that set loose the curse on his village turned the inhabitants into
vampires, but it didn’t make them burn up in the sunlight or afraid of
anything religious. It just gave them endless life with a major craving for
blood. It was mostly the newly turned vamps that went all stupid with
their new status.
“True. The guy who was trying to strangle my mate to death went all
out. Black hair, wearing all black, and pale as fuck. Dude could
seriously use a tan,” Lawson said. “Then to top it off the guy leaps into
the air and lands on the adjacent building’s rooftop and runs off.”
“Stupid punks,” Quinn said with disgust. “It’s paranormals like that
that will get us discovered, and then we will have worldwide panic.”
Lawson nodded his agreement. “So when do you plan on seeing this man
again if he ditched you?”
Lawson grinned over at Quinn then held up Jeremy’s wallet.
“You stole his wallet?” Quinn shook his head. “Boy, you are begging
to get the shit knocked out of you.”
“What? Was I supposed to just let him get away?”
“No, but damn.” Quinn looked from the wallet in Lawson’s hand
back to his face. “That’s ballsy.”
“A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do,” Lawson simply said. He
wouldn’t feel bad about stealing Jeremy’s wallet because it was his only
way of finding the man.
“So what’s your plan now?”
“After we leave here I’m going to return the wallet to its rightful
owner.” Lawson looked down at his watch. It was too early to leave the
club just yet. They needed to keep to the mission, but Lawson would be
counting down the minutes.
“First you steal from him then you’re going to go knocking on his
front door at two in the morning?” Lawson shrugged his shoulders at
Quinn’s question. “Nice!”
Lawson didn’t say it was the most well-thought-out plan, but it was
all he had to work with. Jeremy couldn’t wait to get away from him and
didn’t offer up any personal information, so Lawson had to improvise.
He would not feel guilty about it. If a rogue vamp was after his mate,
Lawson needed to protect him at all costs. It wasn’t just his job to
protect the innocent, it was what he needed to do to keep his mate safe.
Chapter Eight
After what felt like forever, Lawson was finally heading to Jeremy’s
house. He typed the address into his GPS and followed the directions
given. After everything that had happened between him, Jeremy, and the
unknown vampire, Lawson and his men hung out at the bar until closing
time.
Trevor, to no surprise, made a few friends with connections to the
club underneath Club Menace. An older man who happened to be a
vampire, had taken a liking to Trevor. The details were a little shady on
what exactly took place between Trevor and the other man, but Trevor
got what they needed.
The vampire had asked Trevor to go out with him the next night. He
agreed to Quinn’s displeasure, but it was their only chance at getting
downstairs to that club. If any information could be found out about
Sayer, they had to take their chances.
Lawson hit his blinker and turned off on Eighty-Seventh Street. He
looked for the house number that was typed on Jeremy’s license. Once it
came into view Lawson parked along the street and looked up at the
house. Even with it being dark, Lawson could see that the grass was a
vibrant shade of green and trimmed short. The little house looked very
homey, painted a soft gray with white shutters. A porch ran the width of
the front of the home, a feature Lawson found very inviting.
As he sat there looking up at Jeremy’s house, Lawson knew he was
hesitating. What would he do if Lawson didn’t answer the door? What if
he did and told him to get lost?
“Time to man up and face the music.” Lawson opened his car door
and climbed out. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Jeremy
needed him even if the guy hadn’t realized it yet.
* * * *
Jeremy lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He couldn’t shake
Lawson from his mind. His amber-colored eyes, his golden skin, and the
man’s hard body hidden beneath his clothes all merged together to make
a drop-dead, sexy-ass man that wanted him. Having another man desire
him was something Jeremy thought was out of his reach since the
accident.
After he left the dark alley, he walked as fast as he could to his car
on his prosthetic legs. The sticky, cooling cum in his briefs caused the
material to stick to his groin, and he cringed when he sat down in his car.
He still couldn’t believe he got off with a man he didn’t even know in a
dirty street outside a club. That was something he had never done before.
On the drive home, the euphoric high he had been on started to
dwindle. He was there to find information out on the man responsible for
the death of his sister, and the gods had been shining down on him and
the man had appeared. But instead of staying focused on the murderer he
got distracted by Lawson. Granted, if it hadn’t been for Lawson, Jeremy
probably would have died in that alleyway behind the club. All alone
with no one to care if he lived or died. Well, that would have been true
until he met Lawson. The man seemed to care about him for some reason
unbeknownst to Jeremy.
A smile curled his upper lip as he thought of Lawson’s strong, warm,
and rough hands as the man roughly grabbed him. Lawson kissed him
like a man starving for a crust of bread. But Lawson wasn’t like other
men.
“He’s not even human,” Jeremy whispered, and his smile faded from
his face.
He saw with his own two eyes the man change into something that
wasn’t quite human and not quite animal. How was he able to do it?
Jeremy didn’t know but if vampires existed, why not some sort of half-
human, half-animal hybrid? It was possible.
With everything he had seen and saw earlier that night it didn’t deter
Jeremy’s ever-growing attraction for Lawson. A part of him wanted to
reach out and touch the fur covering his inhuman face, to see if the hair
was as soft as it looked. He wanted to know what Lawson was and what
gave him the ability to become an animal.
“Stop it!” Jeremy shouted in the quiet room, his voice echoing off the
walls.
Every time he thought about Lawson he felt like he was betraying his
sister. She had died, and the man who had killed her hadn’t been brought
to justice and here he was, unable to stop thinking with his dick long
enough to kill the bastard.
Jeremy rolled to his side and punched his fist into his pillow, trying
to relieve some of the tension in his body. He stared at the window. The
moonlight seeping through the cracks in the blinds painted a soft glow in
the bedroom. The sound of the fan spinning omitted a light buzzing noise
in his room, and Jeremy’s eyelids started to become heavy and he
yawned. Just as sleep started to beckon to him, the sound of three rapid
taps on his front door rang out through his quiet house.
“What the hell.” Jeremy looked up at his clock to see it was just after
two in the morning. The last time he had a visitor come calling this late it
had been the sweet old lady that lived next door who thought aliens were
trying to break into her house. Just because he was a cop didn’t mean he
had control over possible intergalactic break-ins. But still he
appreciated the fact that even after his accident, she still ran to him with
her troubles.
Jeremy threw the blankets off his body and reached for his
wheelchair. He wiggled to the edge of the bed and used his arms to lift
himself into the chair. Without turning on a light he made his way out to
the hallway then down the short distance to his door. Turning the knob
for the deadbolt, he rolled out of the way and opened the door.
“Hey, beautiful!”
Jeremy’s breath caught in his throat at seeing Lawson standing in his
doorway. “Wh–what are you doing here,” he sputtered.
“I came to see you. Duh!” Lawson chuckled.
The shock of seeing Lawson at his door wore off and a spark of
anger started to weave its way through Jeremy’s nerve endings. “But
why, and more importantly, how the hell did you find me?”
“Because I like you.” Lawson’s face scrunched up and he started to
pat his hands down the back of his pants when he found what he was
looking for he tossed it into Jeremy’s lap. “And that’s how I found you.”
He pointed down at Jeremy’s lap, and Jeremy gasped in shock.
“You stole my wallet?” He immediately started combing through the
contents to make sure it was all there.
“Well, what did you expect me to do?” Lawson asked with an
eyebrow raised high on his forehead. “You wouldn’t have given me your
address, so I used my other skills to get it.” Lawson held up his hands
and wiggled his fingers.
Jeremy shook his head and had to bite down on his bottom lip to
keep from smiling. On one hand he should be pissed, but then again he
was flattered that the man cared enough to go through all the trouble.
“You know? I could press charges,” he said in a serious tone. “I am
a police officer.”
“No shit!” Lawson said as he stepped around Jeremy to get inside. “I
should have guessed. You look the type.”
“Oh yeah?” Jeremy was helpless but to follow Lawson as he walked
into his home. “How’s that?”
Lawson fumbled along the wall of the living room until he hit the
light switch. Jeremy watched as the man looked around, nodded his
head, and then took a seat on his couch. The man let out a sigh and
relaxed back and made himself comfortable.
“You’ve got that dominating, take-no-bullshit kind of personality.”
Lawson pointed at him, a grin spreading across his face. “And you’ve
got the looks and body to be a man in a place of authority. I bet you look
hot as hell in your uniform.”
Jeremy swallowed deeply as Lawson’s eyes roamed over his body.
Jeremy felt himself getting lost in those big amber-colored eyes, like a
black hole sucking him in. All the things Lawson said and the way he
looked at Jeremy overwhelmed him.
As Jeremy looked down at himself, he saw the stump of his left leg
sticking out the edge of his sleeping pants, the scars ugly and paler than
his golden unmarred skin.
“Stop it,” Lawson said. He got up and came to kneel before Jeremy’s
wheelchair. Lawson held his eye contact while he slowly raised his
hands to ghost his fingertips over Jeremy’s legs. “I can see it in your
eyes. This”—Lawson gently gripped the ends of Jeremy’s knees
—“doesn’t make me feel disgusted or desire you any less.” Lawson took
a deep breath, his eyes falling shut. “I want you, Jeremy.”
“Why? You don’t even know me.” Jeremy put his hands down on the
wheels of his chair to roll away. “I’m literally half the man I used to be.
No one will ever want me. So whatever game you are playing at, just
stop. It’s embarrassing for both of us.”
Lawson grabbed his chair, his hold strong and unrelenting, making it
impossible for Jeremy to escape.
“The only thing that is embarrassing is that you can’t see yourself the
way that I do.” Lawson shook his head hard. “If this”—he motioned with
his chin down at Jeremy’s legs—“is all you think you are then yeah, I
pity you. Just because your legs are gone doesn’t mean that you are any
less attractive of a person. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
Jeremy opened his mouth to argue with Lawson and to tell him to get
the fuck out of his house, but before he could Lawson moved to straddle
Jeremy’s lap. Lawson’s legs hung over the sides of the chair, and the
awkward position didn’t seem to bother Lawson. He groaned as the
man’s heavy weight pressed down on his blood-filled cock. As if on
autopilot, his arms reached up to circle Lawson’s narrow, trim waist. He
let his fingertips caress the man’s hips.
“Jeremy,” Lawson said in a near whisper. “Don’t make me beg.”
Lawson lowered his head to brush his lips lightly over Jeremy’s.
The soft touch made Jeremy growl, and he pulled the man closer.
Their lips clashed together as both men fought to get closer to one
another. The hot, hard pole in Lawson’s pants sent shivers over Jeremy’s
skin as it pressed into his stomach.
The kiss grew more aggressive as Jeremy bit and sucked on the
supple flesh of Lawson’s mouth. A slight trace of copper seeped over his
tongue as he let go and took the man in his lap the way he had longed to
do. It didn’t matter that he still didn’t know quite who Lawson was
because he couldn’t deny the pull he had to this man. He wanted to bury
his cock balls deep inside him and never come up for air.
Jeremy let his hands roam down to fondle Lawson’s ass. He
squeezed and massaged the rounded checks through the rough denim, but
it wasn’t enough. He wanted to feel Lawson’s naked body next to his.
“Bedroom now,” he growled into Lawson’s neck.
“I was just thinking the same thing,” Lawson said, his warm breath
fanning over Jeremy’s face.
“You know what they say about great minds.” Jeremy tapped on the
side of Lawson’s thigh to get the man to stand up. “We think alike.”
Lawson smiled down at him, his erection busting at the seams of his
pants, making Jeremy’s mouth water. Jeremy led the way to his bedroom,
the door still opened. He rolled up to the bed and stared at it like it was
a snake ready to bite him.
In the past year he hadn’t gotten naked in front of anyone. He couldn’t
help but wonder what Lawson would say when he saw him without his
clothes. Would the scars disgust him? Would the fact that his legs had
been removed bother Lawson more than he let on?
“Man, it’s dark in here,” Lawson said right before the bright light lit
up the room.
“No!” Jeremy shouted, the rising panic he felt at being unclothed in
front of this gorgeous creature started to take ahold of him.
Lawson quickly turned off the light and walked around the bed to sit
on the edge in front of Jeremy. “We can keep the lights off, beautiful.”
Lawson leaned forward and caressed his fingers down the side of
Jeremy’s cheek. “Eventually you’ll get over this shyness of yours. If it’s
the last thing I do I’m going to prove to you how gorgeous you are. Legs
or not, that doesn’t make you who you are.”
Jeremy couldn’t find any words to say. He watched as Lawson stood
up and began to remove his clothes. It all seemed to be happening so fast
but he couldn’t deny that this was what he wanted. To be naked and
connected to this man both mentally and physically.
Lawson tossed his shirt to the floor, exposing the hard contours of his
ripped body. His steady and confident fingers pulled down his zipper
and popped the button on his jeans. Ever so slowly he pulled the
material down his legs, taking his boxer briefs with them.
At the sight of the red and swollen cock before his eyes, Jeremy
moaned low in his throat. He yearned to taste the man’s sex on his
tongue.
In a swift and graceful move Lawson leapt up on to the bed and lay
on his side facing Jeremy. “Why don’t you come join me,” Lawson said,
a glint shining in his eyes.
Jeremy rolled his wheelchair to the edge of the bed and turned so he
was beside it. He appreciated that Lawson didn’t offer to help him. No
matter his injury, Jeremy was still a prideful man and didn’t want
Lawson to think he couldn’t take care of himself.
He rolled the chair back a little so he could use the nightstand to help
him lift and maneuver himself up on the bed. Bracing his weight on his
hands, he scooted back until he sat with his back against the headboard.
He rested his hands on his lap, unsure what to do next.
“You get around pretty good.” Lawson ran a single finger down his
arm. “It’s all this upper body strength you got.”
“Thanks.” Jeremy started to laugh. He liked that Lawson didn’t stare
at his legs or show any signs of regret of being in bed with him. Lawson
seemed genuine with his motives for being here. Even if the man was
lying, his dick wasn’t. The swollen head glistened with pre-cum, and the
tight, hard length pointed up toward the man’s belly button. Jeremy
marveled at the size. It wasn’t overly thick, but it was long.
“So.” Lawson tugged at Jeremy’s sleep pants. “Can you take these
off? I’m dying to see you completely naked.”
Jeremy stared into Lawson’s eyes, and he swore they glowed in the
darkness. Whatever worldly creature Lawson was, it only added to his
handsome features.
Not wanting to make the man wait, Jeremy took a deep breath and put
his hands in the waist of his pants and wiggled them down his legs. His
cock slapped against his taut stomach, and he heard Lawson’s sharp
inhale. He looked over to see the man staring wide-eyed at his dick.
There had been many men before the accident that had told Jeremy his
cock was a monster. It was thick, long, and veiny. Most men complained
about how their mouths ached when they sucked him off, and they
couldn’t deep-throat his wide girth. But at least Jeremy had a big dick
going for him.
“God,” Lawson said in awe. “You are beautiful everywhere.” He
reached out and wrapped his warm fingers around Jeremy and sucked in
a breath at the contact.
Lawson crawled up onto his knees. He reached down and shoved
Jeremy’s pants out of the way and moved between his spread thighs. Still
with one hand on his raging hard-on, Lawson lowered his head to lick at
the damp tip. Jeremy jumped at the wet caress and groaned as Lawson
took more of his length into his mouth.
The light flickers of tongue to his slit and under the swollen head had
Jeremy jerking his hips upward. Lawson sucked deeply on his shaft and
used one hand to cradle his balls and the other to run up Jeremy’s chest
to pinch at his pebbled nipples.
“Fuck!” Jeremy shouted as sparks shot along his sensitive skin. He
wanted to come so badly but bit the inside of his cheek to distract
himself. With Lawson’s head bobbing up and down between his legs
Jeremy couldn’t help but reach out and place his hands on the back of the
man’s head.
Lawson had a good six inches in his mouth, and there was still about
three more to go. Jeremy pushed on the back of Lawson’s head as he
arched his hips up. The man hummed along Jeremy’s shaft and
swallowed the remaining length down to the root. Jeremy could feel
Lawson’s throat massage along his rigid shaft and never once did the
man gag or choke. Either Lawson had been gifted with no gag reflex or
he was an expert at sucking cock and learned by practice. It didn’t matter
to Jeremy though. What Lawson was doing to him made his mind relax
and he forgot all his problems, if just for a little bit.
The familiar tingling in his nut sack had him pulling on Lawson’s
ears to get the man to stop. “Babe, stop,” Jeremy grunted. “I’m about to
come.”
With one last long lick, Lawson let Jeremy’s cock slip from between
his lips. He sat back on his haunches, stroking his hard meat in his hand.
“Me, too.”
Jeremy looked down Lawson’s body until his eyes landed on his
cock. He raised his hand to beckon the man forward. Lawson smiled as
he walked up over Jeremy’s body on his knees until his groin was level
with Jeremy’s face. Jeremy raised his hand and gripped the hard shaft in
his fingers and used his other hand to clasp around Lawson’s tight hard
ass.
Sitting forward a little more, Jeremy buried his nose in the man’s
light blond pubic hair and took a deep breath. The wild, musky scent of
Lawson swirled around his brain like a drug. Lawson moaned and
shoved his cock into Jeremy’s face.
He pulled back to lick his tongue around the purple head, tracing the
ridge around the width. Lawson pumped his hips forward and Jeremy
opened wide to get his first taste of this gorgeous man. The sticky juices
flowed from the tip setting Jeremy’s senses on fire. He greedily applied
more suction to the tip, coaxing more to come out.
“God, yes.” Lawson groaned as he hands tunneled through Jeremy’s
hair, causing goose bumps to pop up along his body.
Jeremy let the hand holding on to Lawson’s ass drop and brought the
fingers up to Lawson’s mouth and pushed them inside. Lawson sucked
and tongued the digits like they were a cock. Spit slickened his fingers,
and Jeremy pulled them free with a final swipe from Lawson’s eager
tongue. Jeremy used the wet fingers to pet the sensitive flesh behind
Lawson’s balls up to his small puckered opening. He painted the fingers
over the little hole then used his middle finger to apply pressure and
enter Lawson’ body.
Lawson cried out as Jeremy moved further inside. The tight heat
surrounded his finger. Jeremy fucked Lawson with his finger for about a
minute before he added another. The man above him went wild and
started to thrust his hips down on his fingers then up toward Jeremy’s
mouth as he continued to suck while finger-fucking him.
“You feel so good,” Jeremy said in between slobbering on Lawson’s
cock. “I want to be inside you.” His gruff voice sounded unrecognizable
to his own ears.
“Fuck yeah,” Lawson panted as he moved faster on Jeremy’s fingers.
Jeremy pulled his fingers free of Lawson’s ass and gave one final
kiss to his hard prick. Lawson whined but scooted down to give Jeremy
room to lean forward and reach inside his nightstand. He pulled out the
lube he stored there for when he jacked off but didn’t have any condoms.
“Fuck!” He couldn’t believe his luck. He finally had a guy in his bed,
begging to be fucked and he didn’t have any protection.
“What’s wrong?” Lawson asked as he rubbed his fingers up and
down Jeremy’s thighs. God he was beginning to love the feel of someone
touching his scarred legs.
“I don’t have any condoms.” He huffed out a breath. “I’m sorry,
babe.”
“Don’t be.” Lawson grabbed the lube from Jeremy’s hand and
popped the cap. He grabbed Jeremy’s cock in one hand and squeezed the
tube, coating Jeremy’s cock with his other hand.
“What are you doing?” Jeremy asked and moaned as Lawson’s
skillful fingers played around his length.
“Jeremy, do you trust me?” Lawson asked.
Jeremy opened his eyes to stare into Lawson big brown eyes. He had
no reason to, but he couldn’t help but think this man was a part of him, as
if Jeremy couldn’t take another breath without this man in his life.
“Yes,” he whispered and nodded his head.
Lawson smiled and climbed back on top of Jeremy’s lap. Very
slowly he lowered himself down on Jeremy’s throbbing cock, staring
longingly into his eyes. As the blunt head of Jeremy’s dick pushed into
Lawson, the man’s body opened up for him. He could feel Lawson’s
body pulling him in closer, swallowing him inside the hot velvety
channel.
A small part of his brain told him he shouldn’t be having unprotected
sex with a complete stranger, but he ignored it. Feeling Lawson’s body
wrapped around him made Jeremy feel like he wasn’t lost anymore.
Even with his sister gone, he wasn’t alone in this world.
Lawson hissed out a breath as his bottom came to rest on Jeremy’s
thighs. Looking up at the man, Jeremy ran his hands up and down
Lawson’s sides, savoring the corded muscles under his skin. Lawson’s
eyes fell shut, and he started to move his hips up and down then in a
circle as he grinded on Jeremy’s pole. Jeremy grunted and growled as
the hot, wet suction of Lawson’s ass tugged at his pole.
The sounds of their combined heavy breathing filled the room along
with the strong aroma of sex. Jeremy gripped his hands on Lawson’s hips
and forced him up and down in hard thrusts. Lawson came up on his
knees and came down with a grunt each time their bodies slapped
together.
“You feel so fucking good.” Jeremy grunted as he pushed up into
Lawson. “So tight, I’m going to blow.”
“Fuck me harder,” Lawson demanded. “Make me feel it.” Lawson
panted and leaned forward, curling his fingers into Jeremy’s shoulders.
Jeremy jerked in surprise as he felt a pinch of pain as something
sharp dug into his shoulders. He ignored it and concentrated on his lover.
Lawson started to wildly ride his cock, and Jeremy clenched his
teeth together as he tried to keep his orgasm at bay. He took Lawson in
his hand and stroked with rapid movements up and down the hardened
shaft. The action caused Lawson to bounce harder and faster on Jeremy’s
lap.
“Holy shit, I’m coming.” Jeremy moaned and felt the burst of heat
welling in his balls break loose and his hot cum shot into Lawson’s
welcoming body.
“Harder, please,” Lawson begged and Jeremy jerked the man’s cock
faster.
Lawson threw his head back, and an ear-shattering roar left the
man’s lips. Jeremy stared up at the man as he rode the waves of pleasure
with him. The clamping of Lawson’s muscles on his dick prolonged his
orgasm, making his toes curl.
As the mind-numbing pleasure started to ebb, Lawson’s head came
up and Jeremy’s breath caught in his chest. The man’s face had grown
harder, the lines of his jaws more defined, and a mouth full of sharp teeth
bulged at his lips. Jeremy’s fingers clenched tighter, and he locked his
arms in place on Lawson’s hips, holding him at arm’s length while he
examined the inhuman features.
“What are you?” Jeremy heard himself ask. He couldn’t take his eyes
away from Lawson. He was intrigued by this unusual man on top of him.
Chapter Nine
Lawson tried to calm his racing heart, but it was difficult as Jeremy’s
dick still pulsed inside his stretched hole. God, he couldn’t believe how
mind-blowingly fantastic it had been to fuck his mate. He’d heard his
brother talk about how wonderful and life changing sex had become
since he found his mate, but Lawson thought his brother was full of shit.
But not anymore.
As he sat on Jeremy’s cock and worked his body up and down,
Lawson couldn’t control his urges any longer. The ability to hold back
his lion faltered, and his body began to shift. He could feel his face grow
tight with the need to mold into the wide-set eyes and long snout of his
lion form. His lips curled back over his expanding teeth and the deep
roar that swirled in his stomach as he shot his load over his mates chest
broke free and forced its way out of his mouth. But dear lord, Lawson
loved it.
When his heart stopped pounding against his chest, he lifted his head
up to look down at the man who stole his breath along with his heart. In
the matter of two days he’d fallen for a man he barely knew but couldn’t
picture his life without.
It sounded insane but a mate was a gift that fate gave to paranormal
beings. Something that made being immortal not such a hardship to bear.
After a few hundred years life could get pretty lonely without having a
trustworthy lover.
“What are you?”
Lawson looked down into Jeremy’s wide blue eyes, and a mixture of
fear and shock swirled in the frosty depths. He took another deep breath
and willed his shift back to his human self. Still sitting on Jeremy’s
semi-hard prick, he leaned forward, not wanting to break the connection.
It seemed important to stay close to his mate.
Very slowly he reached up and ran his fingers through Jeremy’s soft
brown hair, loving the way the short strands tickled his palm.
“I’m human, just a little different.” Lawson held his mate’s stare
trying his best to relieve any fear the man might have. He didn’t want to
frighten Jeremy but he also wanted to be honest with the man.
“How different?” Jeremy said with a tilt of his head.
“Well I’m human as well as a lion shifter.” At Jeremy’s blank stare,
he elaborated. “I have the ability to turn into a lion. I descend from lion
shifters. I was born this way.”
“But how? It doesn’t make sense.” Jeremy’s eyes searched his and
Lawson knew he needed to explain and he couldn’t do that while sitting
on the man’s junk.
“It’s a long story, but you need to know it to understand what and
who I am.”
Lawson began the long and tedious task of explaining the cruelty of
witches and how those bastards had the ability to cast spells that turned
regular human beings into things other people feared. There was no
rhyme or reason as to why witches did what they did. In some instances
it was because the witch felt wronged or out of sheer enjoyment because
they thought it was funny. Some witches, not all, were cold, heartless
beings who didn’t care who they hurt.
But Lawson’s family had been shifters for quite a while before he
and his brother were born, so he was fortunate to never know what it
was like to not be this way. To be fair, Lawson liked being a shifter and
a member of the Warriors of the Light. It gave his life meaning, and he
wanted to do good with his long life on earth.
“So what you’re saying is if witches didn’t exist, neither would, you
know”—Jeremy waved a hand at him—“your kind?”
“Basically yes.” Lawson shrugged. “Their numbers have dwindled
over the years, and the ones I’ve met work for the Council of Paranormal
Beings. Their job is to hunt witches who’ve done wrong against mankind
and to exterminate them.”
“Council of Paranormal Beings?” Jeremy asked.
“Yeah. They’re like the governing party of my kind.” Lawson sat up
and could feel Jeremy’s spunk start to leak out his opening. He crossed
his legs and shifted so he could see his mate. “See, I’m a member of the
Warriors of the Light. We are what you would consider a cop. We
police against the Dark Warriors.” He held a hand up when Jeremy
opened his mouth to speak. “Dark Warriors are those of our kind, be it
lion, bear, or wolf shifters, that have joined forces with witches to do
evil. They have given up their humanity and are mindless drones to do
the bidding of others. There are far more shifters in the world than there
are witches, and they use them as their henchmen.”
Jeremy sat quietly staring in front of him. Lawson didn’t like his
silence, but he gave the man the space he needed. It was a lot to digest
for a human. They were led to believe all the things that went bump in
the night were make believe, used to scare people for entertainment.
“Vampires are real then?” Jeremy turned toward Lawson.
Lawson nodded his head. “Yes.”
“So that guy in the alley tonight he was a vampire.”
“Oh yeah, and by the looks of it, a warrior of the dark.” Lawson
assumed it was a dead giveaway seeing as the bloodsucker had been
trying to strangle the life from Jeremy.
“So I’m not crazy.” Jeremy looked relieved.
“No you’re not.” Lawson thought it a good sign the man wasn’t
freaking out or reaching for a weapon of some sort. But he had to wonder
why Jeremy took the news so well.
* * * *
Granted everything Lawson just said sounded like something out of a
book of fiction, but it made sense or at least made sense to him. He had
watched his sister being taken from their home. He saw the sharp teeth
and ghostly white face of the man who took her then again tonight when
he followed the man into the alley behind Club Menace.
It all was becoming clear now. Jeremy brought his hands up to rest
his fingers on his temples. “All the missing people these last few months,
it’s because of those sick freaks. They’re killing people?”
“That is our suspicion, yes.”
“Is that why you came here?” Jeremy looked at Lawson when he
asked. “To take care of this problem?”
“Not necessarily. See, I came here with two fellow warriors. We’re
on a mission to find one of our friends. He’s been missing for almost a
year now. It just so happens we stumbled onto your town while
searching for him.” Lawson unfolded his legs and leaned back against
the bed next to Jeremy.
Jeremy could feel the heat coming off the man, and the scent of their
lovemaking lingered heavily in the air. His dick started to twitch,
readying for round two, and he had to ball his hands into fists to keep
from reaching out for Lawson.
“We have the ability to access police records all over the country,
and the incidents happening here in Clearview popped up on our radar
as suspicious. Missing people and dead bodies, it all points to dark
warrior activity, and we had hoped it would lead us to our missing
friend,” Lawson explained.
“Fuck me,” Jeremy said in awe of what Lawson said. To think all the
shit he’d been living with for the past six months was all true and real.
His friends, coworkers, and even the fucking head doctor he had been
forced to see were all wrong and he was right. Relief filled him to the
brim, and it made him happy. For once he didn’t feel like he was losing
his mind.
“Are you okay?” Lawson asked. His fingers lightly touched Jeremy
on the arm.
“Hell yeah, I’m okay,” Jeremy nearly shouted. “I’m not fucking
crazy. What I saw was real.” His hands began to tremble from
excitement. He needed to find out from Lawson how to kill that freak that
murdered his sister then he could go in search of the man.
“What did you see?” Lawson asked, eyeing him curiously.
“That vampire from the club tonight, he killed my sister.” It felt good
to be able to say that out loud to a person who didn’t look at him like he
was delusional and making shit up.
“Are you sure?” Lawson stared into his eyes, and Jeremy nodded his
head. He had never been more certain of anything in his life. “So that’s
why you were at the club and why that vamp was trying to kill you.”
“Yeah, I’ve been searching for that guy since it happened. That club
is the center of it all, I know it!” he explained. “The one thing all the
victims have had in common is that fucking club. But no evidence has
turned up.” Jeremy’s temper started to flare. “The club owner has
always cooperated with the police, and we can’t pin anything on him.
He’s squeaky clean.”
Jeremy still couldn’t understand how that was possible. Maybe with
the involvement with these paranormal creatures, they had the ability to
hide their tracks better.
“Well I hate to say it, but that’s what Dark Warriors are good at.
Deception and perception. Some are sloppy and don’t cover their tracks
very well, but others can be very smart and calculating as to not lead on
to what they are doing. This group of Dark Warriors probably have been
living in your town for years and gone undetected, but something has
changed. The spike in disappearances and bodies turning up is something
that can’t be explained away as coincidences.”
“No, they can’t.” Every time Jeremy closed his eyes he could see the
faces of the missing people and the grotesque images of the bodies that
did turn up. But with all the pictures he’d seen, the one he so desperately
wanted to see still hadn’t come across his desk. Addison had been
missing for six months. Jeremy wasn’t stupid. He knew she was dead.
Being a cop long enough, he knew the odds of finding her alive were less
than none, but he just wanted the peace of mind knowing what he
believed was the truth.
The room went silent. Jeremy’s mind was racing with what he should
do. He wanted to go back to the club and wait for that bastard to show up
again and finish the job. The monster, vampire, whatever the hell he was
deserved to die.
“So what exactly happened to your sister?” Lawson’s voice pulled
Jeremy from his plotting.
“She was murdered by that vampire, here in our own home.” The
image was still so vivid in his mind of his sister lying lifeless in that
monster’s arms. “I woke to the sounds of a struggle. By the time I got in
my chair and made it out into the hallway, he had already killed her. She
lay limp in his arms, blood smeared across her neck.”
“Oh my god that’s terrible.” Lawson tried to comfort him.
“It was.” Jeremy took a deep breath, trying to chase away the panic
building in his chest. He had been useless to do anything to help
Addison. He failed her. “She’s all I had.” He chuckled but not with
humor behind the jovial sound. “The funny thing was she didn’t even live
here. She had only recently moved in here because she was worried
about me.” He shook his head at his own shameful disgust in himself.
God, why couldn’t he have been stronger? If he hadn’t taken his accident
so hard she might still be alive living in her little apartment across town.
“You can’t blame yourself.”
Jeremy snapped his head to the side to look at Lawson. “Then who?”
he shouted. “If I hadn’t been such a fucking pussy and dealt with what
was going on in my life, she wouldn’t have been here and maybe, just
maybe, that vampire would have gotten me instead. I’d have gladly taken
her place. I still would.”
Lawson looked at him with sad eyes. If Jeremy wasn’t mistaken,
tears started to form at the corners. “Don’t say that.”
“Why?” Jeremy looked into the warm pools that were Lawson’s
eyes. “It’s the truth. Look at me?” He slapped a hand down on his thigh.
“She was young and beautiful with her whole life ahead of her. Me?” He
pointed a finger at his chest. “I’m a broken man with nothing left to
give.”
“Stop it!” Lawson yelled at him, and the dam on the man’s tears gave
way. Jeremy jerked in surprise when Lawson moved to straddle his lap.
“You’re not broken, just different than what you were before.” Lawson
shook his head lightly. “And you have everything to give.”
Jeremy brought his hands up to push the man away but Lawson’s
strong fingers gripped him around the wrist. “Like what?” His voice
rose. “Even if I did, who would want a crippled and scarred man like
me?”
“Me, you asshole!” Lawson yanked Jeremy’s arms up above his head
and leant forward to crush his lips to his in a bruising kiss.
Jeremy tried to fight it at first, but his body betrayed him. He moaned
into the kiss and let Lawson prove what he had confessed. Lawson began
to move his hips back and forth, his hardened length bringing Jeremy’s
back to life with enthusiasm. The sweet friction of skin against skin made
him hungry to be inside Lawson one more time.
As if reading his thoughts, Lawson let go of Jeremy’s hands, shifted
onto his knees, and gripped Jeremy’s heavy shaft. The man sat up and put
the rounded tip of Jeremy’s cock to his hole. He slowly lowered his
body down, and Jeremy sat transfixed by the sight. As he pushed inside,
the hot, moist walls greeted him. Lawson was still slick from the last
load Jeremy shot into his fiery depths, easing the way.
“Can’t you see?” Lawson panted. “I want you like I’ve never wanted
anyone before.” A low rumble came out of Lawson’s open mouth as
gasped for air, urging his hips up and down faster on Jeremy’s hard staff.
“You’re what I’ve been waiting my whole life for.”
Jeremy dug his fingers into Lawson’s flanks and held on tight. The
man’s body hugged him perfectly as if Lawson’s body was made just for
him. He stared up at Lawson, his face flushed and his chest moving up
and down rapidly as he rode Jeremy’s cock.
All the sweet things swirled around Jeremy’s heart and woke a part
of his soul he thought was dead. He wanted to believe what the man said
were true, but he just wasn’t certain and now wasn’t the time to over
think it.
“Lawson!” Jeremy grunted as the man moved faster and slammed his
ass down harder on his thighs, his orgasm tingling right out of reach.
“Say you believe me.” Lawson slowed down his movements. “Say
that you can feel how much I want you.” Jeremy stared wide-eyed up at
the man. Tears threatened to flood his eyes, but he couldn’t say the
words. “Say it!” Lawson screamed.
“I believe you,” Jeremy whispered as he sat up and wrapped his
arms around Lawson’s strong torso, hugging him close as the man fucked
him. “I want this all to be true,” he mumbled in Lawson’s chest as he
covered the ridged, hard pectoral muscles with light kisses.
“Thank fuck,” Lawson said in a raspy voice. “Now please touch
me,” he begged.
Jeremy moved his head back to look up at Lawson. His eyes were
clenched tight, and Jeremy reached between them to jack his leaking
pole. Lawson sucked in a breath, and his whole body went taut and his
body began to shake out of control.
“That’s right,” Jeremy said with more confidence than he felt. “Come
for me, Lawson, give it to me.”
Lawson looked down into his eyes, and Jeremy saw the same
glowing light behind the warm shade of amber. His lips pulled back,
exposing all his sharp teeth, and for some reason he couldn’t explain,
Jeremy tilted his head to the side and exposed his neck.
A look flashed over Lawson’s eyes and he roared loudly, causing the
walls to shake. Lawson brought his hands up to grip the sides of
Jeremy’s face. “Not yet.”
He didn’t know what Lawson meant, but it seemed like it was
important.
Lawson began to bounce harder and all thought as to what just took
place drifted from his mind. Jeremy tilted his head up searching for a
kiss from the man on top of him. The razor-sharp teeth should have
frightened him but they didn’t. Jeremy needed to feel this man’s kiss on
his lips.
A smile spread over Lawson’s hard face, and he leaned down and
covered Jeremy’s mouth with his own. As their tongues danced together
their bodies moved as one, chasing down the same desire filling their
bodies.
Jeremy’s orgasm took over him first, and his body tingled with sweet
release. Lawson followed close behind him and once again roared as
cum spit forth from his cock.
Lawson slumped forward, causing Jeremy to hold all his weight, and
Jeremy loved it. Lawson didn’t treat him like he was different and even
professed that he could care less that he didn’t have legs. Right then and
there Jeremy realized he had to find a way to keep this man in his life
because he didn’t think he could live without him.
Chapter Ten
Warm rays of sunlight washed over Lawson’s face and he rolled
over, throwing an arm over his eyes. He growled with frustration as he
felt the warmth heat his skin and grabbed a pillow and put it over his
face.
“You’re not a morning person are you?”
Lawson sat up and clutched the pillow to his chest. He had been so
utterly comfortable he hadn’t realized he wasn’t back in his hotel room
but instead in his mate’s soft and delicious smelling bed. Between his
mate’s natural and yummy scent and the heavy aroma of sex clinging to
the air, his dick began to stiffen.
“I, uh.” Lawson didn’t know what to say. Somehow asking the man to
fuck him again sounded a little crude. Instead Lawson smiled and took in
the sight of the man he had waited his whole life to find.
Jeremy looked freshly showered, his hair still damp. He had on a
pair of track pants but no shirt. The golden skin covering Jeremy’s lean,
hard muscles had drool pooling in Lawson’s mouth. Jeremy was one
fine-looking man.
“Hello!” Jeremy’s sang out the word, waving his hand from side to
side, grabbing Lawson’s attention.
He dragged his eyes up his mate’s body and took his time getting
reacquainted with the pale-pink lips, the top thinner than the lower, then
up to his straight and long nose, up to his dark blue eyes. Jeremy’s
forehead was creased with wrinkles as the man squinted at him.
“You okay?” Jeremy asked.
He tore his eyes away from Jeremy and looked down at the bed. The
rumpled sheets hung low on his waist, and the fitted sheet had come free
from the mattress. A grin worked over his lips. The memories of last
night were still fresh in his mind. It wasn’t just the sex but the connection
he felt toward this man.
There had been a moment last night where Jeremy had bared his
throat to him, and Lawson was so desperate to take his mate up on the
offer he didn’t know he was giving. But he held back. Jeremy still
seemed a bit uneasy with the fact he had lost his legs, and Lawson
wasn’t sure what would happen if he went through with a blood-sex-
magic ritual. Would Jeremy be able to live an eternity without having
legs? Or would he blame Lawson for sentencing him to a life longer than
he had anticipated with no legs? Not knowing how his mate would react
to them being mates took a backseat to not knowing how Jeremy would
feel about living forever with Lawson confined to a wheelchair.
The smile fell from his face and he looked up at his mate. “I’m
great.” He shuffled to the side of the bed, letting the sheet fall away.
“What time is it?”
“A little after nine.” Jeremy’s eyes roamed over Lawson’s face,
looking for something that Lawson wasn’t sure of. “I guess you need to
be leaving,” he said in a tone that sounded almost bitter.
“No.” Lawson stood up and snatched his pants up off the floor,
pulling them on. “Actually I don’t.” The hard set of Jeremy’s mouth
clued him into that fact that his mate was upset about something. “What’s
for breakfast?”
“Excuse me?” Jeremy asked, giving Lawson an odd look. “You want
to stay?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” Lawson walked over to where Jeremy sat
in his wheelchair and sat down boldly on the man’s lap. “Did you really
think you could get rid of me so easily?”
Jeremy looked away from him, his eyes roaming about the room. “I
just thought—” Jeremy’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down rapidly. “I
thought you would want to leave once you saw me in the light of day.”
“God!” Lawson rolled his eyes. “Granted I don’t know you all that
well, yet.” He let that one world linger in the air. “But you can be really
thickheaded.” Lawson rested his arms over Jeremy’s shoulders and
kissed him lightly on the lips. “You don’t know it yet, but you will soon
find out that you are stuck with me like a bad case of herpes.” He
chuckled at Jeremy’s shocked and disgusted expression. “I’m not going
anywhere.”
It took a moment of Jeremy looking at him as if he were trying to
reach into Lawson’s brain to see if he was lying or not. Lawson held his
steady gaze. After another long minute of Jeremy’s hard stare he nodded,
apparently satisfied with what he saw and smiled at Lawson.
“I think I could really get use to that,” Jeremy said with the biggest
smile Lawson had ever seen.
“Thank you, Jesus!” Lawson planted a kiss on Jeremy’s cheek than
hopped off his lap. “Now that we got that out of the way, what’s for
breakfast? I’m starving.”
Lawson found the kitchen easy enough as he walked down the short
hallway. The house only had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, and
a living room. Nothing like the house the Warriors of the Light inhabited
in Missouri, but it was homey. A light tan covered the walls leading
toward the kitchen.
The kitchen appeared to be the largest of the rooms in the house. He
noticed the counters stood shorter than what was normal in an average
home, but he assumed it was designed to accommodate Jeremy being in a
wheelchair. The cabinets were a dark wood color with marble
countertops. The appliances were all stainless steel with not a thing out
of place in the pristine kitchen.
“So what do you want for breakfast, Simba?” Jeremy looked over his
shoulder, a teasing grin on his face.
Had anyone else compared him to the Lion King, Lawson would
have been pissed, but to see that his mate was teasing him was a much-
needed relief. One more sign that maybe Jeremy would want to spend an
eternal life with him.
“You think you’re funny, do ya?” Lawson rounded the island in the
center of the kitchen, easily leaping over it to reach the other side,
landing directly in front of Jeremy. “Be careful, Jeremy, I have a
tendency to bite.” He snapped his teeth down together, making a loud
clicking sound.
“That was amazing!” Jeremy looked at him wide eyed, obviously
impressed with what he could do.
“Yeah, I am pretty amazing.” Lawson leaned back against the counter
top, a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Oh boy, conceited to boot.” Jeremy opened a cabinet door and
pulled out a frying pan. “Not an attractive quality.” Before he could turn
away, Lawson saw the smile on his face.
“I’m pretty sure I have other qualities that you like.” Lawson stood
up and walked over to the back of his mate’s chair. “In fact, I still have
some of you inside me, proving how much you find me attractive,” he
whispered low in Jeremy’s ear.
Jeremy let out a low moan and his head tipped back to rest on
Lawson’s chest. “You got me there.” He opened his eyes to stare up at
Lawson. Lust and desire swam like a storm in the blue depths.
Lawson bent closer and touched his lips to Jeremy’s. He groaned at
the soft and smooth contact. He wanted to dive in and take Jeremy’s
mouth in a hard, passionate kiss, but he held back. They couldn’t waste
the day away making love, or could they?
“We better stop or we’ll never eat.” Jeremy sat forward and reached
out his right hand to turn on the stove. “Eggs and bacon all right with
you?”
“Sounds perfect!” Lawson watched as Jeremy got to work moving
from the refrigerator back toward the stove making breakfast. He
couldn’t understand why his mate was so angry over the loss of his legs.
Sure, it would be a pain in the ass and hard to get used to at first, but
Jeremy moved around with such efficiency. The man made it look easy.
If he was the last thing he did, Lawson had to prove to Jeremy that
having legs wasn’t the most important thing in the world. Because if he
didn’t he’d never get the man to agree become his mate.
After they ate, Lawson excused himself to call Elias and Cason
while Jeremy cleaned up the kitchen. He walked back to Jeremy’s room
and retrieved his phone from the floor where it landed the previous
night. Smiling to himself, he punched in Cason’s number.
“Where the hell are you?” Elias shouted into the phone.
Lawson pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it then put it
back to his head. “Morning to you, too, sunshine.” He chuckled.
“Where’s Cason?”
“Oh no, mister, I’ll be asking the questions.” Elias huffed into the
phone.
“Elias, I appreciate the concern, but Cason and Quinn knew where I
was.” He had told both men before he left Club Menace last night.
“Those assholes!” Elias’s voice began to rise again. “I’m going to
kill them. They told me they had no clue where you were and wouldn’t
let me call Ben until we found your dead body.”
Lawson started to laugh so hard he had to sit down on the bed. Elias
was still really young and got emotional over every little thing. So the
other warriors, including himself, enjoyed ribbing the kid every now and
again.
“I didn’t know you cared so much, E,” Lawson said as he tried to
swallow down his laughter.
“Fuck you!” Elias growled. Lawson could hear Cason’s laughter
coming over the line. “One day, you asshole, you’re going to fuck with
me too many times and I will not come running to your rescue.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Lawson could hear Cason say sweetly to Elias.
“Don’t be that way. You know I love you.”
“Fucker,” was the last thing Lawson heard Elias say before Cason
came on the line.
“Tad bit emotional, isn’t he?” Cason asked.
“Well, you did let him think I was missing.” He chuckled. “That
might have something to do with it.”
“It was all in good fun. Quinn actually had to snatch his phone away
so he didn’t call Ben.” Cason laughed. “I hadn’t seen old Quinny boy
have that much fun in ages.”
“Damn, wish I could have seen that.” And he did. Quinn was so
uptight, Lawson was convinced if he shoved coal up the other man’s ass
he could pop out diamonds.
“It was a hoot.” Cason coughed to clear his throat. “So how’s your
mate?”
“Outstanding!” Every time he thought about Jeremy his whole body
lit up and he couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “He’s so fucking
perfect.”
“No issues with the whole ‘you’re not human’ thing?”
He remembered the relieved look on Jeremy’s face when he told him
of the existence of paranormal beings. It was as if the weight of the
world had been taken off his shoulders. “He’s more than okay with it. A
vamp killed his sister, and now he has the validation that he’s not crazy.”
“Good to know, my friend. I think a congratulations is in order.” He
could hear the smile in Cason’s voice. “Humans can be a jittery lot, and
it’s good to know your mate is accepting of our way of life. Living
forever is a lot easier if your mate is on board with it.”
“Thanks.” Lawson hadn’t revealed the whole living forever aspect to
Jeremy just yet. Small steps. Lawson quickly switched subjects. “So
what’s the plan? Did Trevor snag his guy?”
“Yes indeed he has. Trevor has a date tonight with Roman. How
stereotypical is that? A vamp named Roman.” Cason giggled. “Why can’t
these bloodsuckers be more original or better yet just be themselves?
The whole lot has an inferiority complex if you were to ask me.”
Lawson had to agree. He had met a vampire that actually went by the
name Lestat. Had the vamp been more than just a few months turned,
Lawson could have possibly believed that was his given name, but no
dice. Too many humans longed for the kiss of a vampire with all the
glitter and glam of what Hollywood made it out to be. Didn’t they realize
how stupid they looked?
“Quinn’s none too happy about it all. I assume that is why he was
more than eager to fuck with Elias this morning. He had to take his
frustration out somewhere.”
“If it makes the big guy happy, then so be it. He worries about Trevor
more than he ought to, but I think he feels responsible for the man.”
Lawson had seen how Quinn clung to Trevor like a bee to honey. “Plus,
Miles would kill Quinn if anything happened to his cousin.”
“True. But like I was saying, Trevor is going out with this Roman
fellow tonight, and if all goes well we hope the little shit will get an
invite to the club below Club Menace.”
Lawson had no doubt in Trevor’s abilities to get that info. The young
vampire could get a straight man to want to suck his cock. His easy
talking and insatiable flirting was no match against even the most
gorgeous of female beauty queens. Trevor possessed a confidence other
people were jealous of.
“I think Trevor will get what we need.” He stood up from the bed
and headed back toward the kitchen where he could hear Jeremy putting
the dishes away. “Text me when you guys know something.” Lawson
watched as his mate moved about his kitchen, feeling the love fill his
chest. Jeremy was his one and only, and he could never image his life
without the man in it. He was ready to not be alone anymore. “I’m going
to stay here with Jeremy and get to know him a little better.”
“Sounds good, Lawson. I can’t wait to meet him. It’ll be an honor to
meet the man who has tamed the wild beast that is Lawson Campbell, the
king of the jungle,” Cason teased.
“That’s right, and don’t forget it, wolf man!”
Lawson hung up the phone before Cason could reply. He walked into
the kitchen and rested a hand on his mate’s shoulder. The skin so warm
and hard with muscle under his touch.
“Everything okay?” Jeremy turned to ask.
“Yeah, everything is great.” He took up residence on Jeremy’s lap,
the spot he was growing to love sitting on. “Is this okay?” At Jeremy’s
raised brows he elaborated. “Me sitting on you like this. I know I’m a
big guy and I don’t want to crush you.”
Jeremy’s face softened and he laughed. “Babe, you feel perfect on
my lap. If you didn’t take liberty to sit on me every chance you got, I
think I’d be offended.” To his surprise Jeremy tipped his chin down to
kiss his lips. “I love how you treat me like I’m normal.”
“You are normal.” He rushed forward and silenced Jeremy’s
response with a kiss. His mate’s soft and pliable lips danced against his.
Lawson pushed his tongue into Jeremy’s wet hot mouth and any more
talking that need to be had was pushed to the back burner.
One kiss led to another until they made their way back to Jeremy’s
room where Lawson let the man take him again and again until sleep
claimed them both.
Chapter Eleven
“So what’s your story, besides being able to turn into a lion?”
Jeremy asked as he lightly traced his fingers through Lawson’s hair.
Lawson’s eyes slowly opened, and he stared in front of him. They
had been lying around for hours. In between sleeping they’d make love
then cuddle close. Lawson had his head rested on Jeremy’s chest and his
legs wrapped around Jeremy’s. It didn’t feel awkward entwining his legs
with Jeremy’s. The man’s legs were gone, one below the knee and the
other a little higher, but it didn’t take away from the warmth or beauty of
the man’s body. It didn’t make a difference to him if Jeremy had legs or
not.
Letting his thoughts leave the sexiness of his mate’s body, he thought
of the question Jeremy just asked. He liked to keep the past in the past
and not let it invade his present. Remembering how his parents turned
him out caused his heart to break every time he thought about it. Even
now over a hundred years later.
“Nothing all that interesting to tell.” Lawson let his hand roam down
and gently grip his mate’s limp cock, trying to distract him.
“I don’t believe you.” Jeremy reached down and grabbed Lawson’s
hand by the wrist and pulled it away from his body. “I told you about my
sister and that I’m a cop who everyone thought was one step away from
being put into a padded cell. I think you can tell me about yourself.”
When Lawson didn’t look up, Jeremy placed a finger under his chin and
lifted his face to his. “I like you, Lawson, and I want to know you
better.”
Lawson heaved out a heavy sigh and sat up and rested again on the
headboard of the bed. He twiddled his fingers around and around, trying
to figure out the best way to explain his past without giving too much
away. He had a feeling if Jeremy knew he was hundred and eighteen
years old, he’d freak out, even more so when Lawson explained that
once they became fully mated, Jeremy would become immortal as well.
Hell, he hadn’t even told the man they were mates. He was being a
coward, but Lawson didn’t want to lose this feeling he shared with
Jeremy right in that very moment, passionate kisses, and making love
until his body grew tired.
“Any siblings or parents you want to tell me about?” Jeremy pushed
forward with his questioning.
“I have a brother. His name is Lachlan. We’re identical twins.
There’s also Garrett. He’s my brother’s ma…” Lawson stumbled over
his words. He couldn’t say mate because then he’d have to have a whole
other type of conversation with the man. “He’s my brother’s husband.”
“You and your twin are both gay? That’s cool.” Jeremy reached for
one of his hands and Lawson let the man entwine their fingers together.
“Any other brothers or sisters?”
“Not that I know of.” When Lawson was sent away his parents hadn’t
had any other kids besides him and Lachlan. “There might be.”
“You don’t know?” Jeremy asked, his brow furrowed.
Lawson took a deep breath and thought it best to just spit it out. Like
ripping a Band-Aid off. “I left home when I was eighteen, so if they had
more children I wouldn’t know. They no longer talk to me.”
“Oh my god, why not?” Jeremy pulled Lawson closer to his chest,
and he took strength from his mate’s firm and solid body.
“My parents are very traditional, and seeing as they were born lions,
not turned, they lived by a strict set of rules.” Lawson remembered the
look of disgust on his father’s face and the tears in his mother’s eyes as
they told him he could no longer live in the only home he had ever
known. “To be gay was considered shameful, and I was turned away
because I was caught with another man and to make it worse, the man
was a human.”
“Ah, baby.” Jeremy kissed the top of Lawson’s head, his grip had
grown tighter. “I can’t understand how parents of today can still be so
close-minded.”
Lawson didn’t correct his mate. Jeremy thought what Lawson’s
parents had done to him had happened within the past few years not a
hundred and one years ago when being gay was very taboo.
“It’s what they were raised to believe.” Lawson didn’t understand
why he still felt the need to defend what they had done. Maybe a part of
him had to believe in that so he didn’t completely hate his parents. “But
at least I wasn’t alone. Lachlan came with me. So it wasn’t all that bad,
and then soon after, my brother and I joined the Warriors of the Light and
they became our family.”
Silence drew out between them, Jeremy still stroking his hair. “I
wish I had known you then, Lawson. I would have taken care of you,” he
said in a near whisper.
Lawson looked up at his mate. “You would have?”
A nervous chuckle left his mate’s lips. “Yeah, I would have.” His
tone grew serious. “I don’t know what is happening between us, but I
feel like I’m connected to you.” Jeremy looked away and his face grew
hard. “I know it sounds insane, and maybe this is something I should talk
to my shrink about, but”—Jeremy turned back to look at him—“I can’t
imagine you not being in my life. How crazy does that sound? I feel like
some kind of obsessed stalker. Maybe you should leave and not look
back.”
In an odd and very sweet way, that was exactly the perfect thing for
Jeremy to say. He now had the proof that Jeremy felt the bond growing
stronger between them. Lawson just had to convince the man he didn’t
need legs for the rest of his very long life.
Lawson rolled over to climb on top of Jeremy. “Like I said last
night.” He dropped a kiss on Jeremy’s forehead. “I’m”—another kiss to
his mate’s cheek—“not”—he kissed his other cheek—“going anywhere.”
He finished by kissing Jeremy’s lips.
Jeremy growled into the kiss and pulled Lawson’s body down hard
against his now-very-erect cock. Lawson’s hole was already stretched
out and leaked his mate’s hot cream from the earlier loads he deposited
in his ass. He easily shifted, and Jeremy’s swollen head found Lawson’s
opening and he thrust inside.
“Yes!” Lawson shouted as Jeremy pummeled his hole with sharp and
quick thrusts. His own cock grew rock hard and rubbed along Jeremy’s
washboard abs as he took him with force.
“You feel so good wrapped around me,” Jeremy said breathlessly. “I
could fuck you forever.” He grunted and panted hard against Lawson’s
neck.
“Nothing is stopping you,” Lawson said as he held his mate tighter
and bounced his ass up and down to meet Jeremy’s movements.
White-hot lightening shook through Lawson’s body, and he screamed
as his orgasm shot from his body, dampening the space between his and
Jeremy’s chest.
“Fuck yeah, baby, milk by cock. Take it all.” Jeremy’s sweat
glistening body tensed up, and he shot his sweet juice deep into Lawson
as his muscles gripped the hard flesh pole in his heated channel.
Lawson slumped against Jeremy, and his mate ran his fingers up and
down Lawson’s’ back. A warm and fuzzy feeling tingled along his skin
and he cuddled closer into his mate’s strong body. If he had to label the
feeling, he’d have to say it was love.
After so many years of being alone and keeping his distance from
relationships he found himself longing for all the things brother had told
him about. A mate was a gift that should be treated as such. Jeremy was
his gift and Lawson had no intention of ever letting the man get away.
* * * *
The day slipped away as he and Lawson lay in bed. They had gotten
up to eat once more then quickly cuddled back under the covers and
talked more and watched a movie on the TV. Jeremy had to admit it felt
so utterly normal and perfect. All things considering, it shouldn’t have.
The man he found himself growing more and more attached to was a lion
shifter. It was insane, but he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
It didn’t matter to him though. Lawson, in the past two days, had
made him the happiest he had been in the past year. Losing his legs was
one thing, but the loss of his sister damn near killed him, and now he had
this one perfect man making him feel whole again.
“Fuck,” Lawson grumbled as he rolled over and reached across
Jeremy for his phone as it began to ring. Jeremy’s and Lawson’s phones
used the same type of charger, and he hooked up Lawson’s phone the
previous night before they went to bed. Lawson said he was expecting an
important work-related call. “This better be important.”
Jeremy smiled as his mate snapped to the poor person on the other
end of that call. He rolled to the side to snuggle up close to Lawson’s
back, caressing his hand up and down the man’s muscled flanks.
“No shit!” Lawson exclaimed and sat up. “I’m going to kiss Trev
when I see him.” Jeremy jerked upright with that. “Give us about twenty
minutes then we’ll be there.” Lawson disconnected the call and turned to
him with a huge smile on his face.
“Who are you going to be kissing?” His temper flared. Jeremy had
always been the jealous sort. He didn’t like to share.
“Ah, you’re jealous, that’s so cute.” Lawson kissed him on the nose
then stood up. “Trevor is another warrior that is like a kid brother to me.
Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”
He watched as Lawson gathered up his clothes. “Where are you
going?”
“Don’t you mean where are we going?”
Jeremy looked at him, shaking his head. He had no clue what Lawson
was trying to say.
“My friends have come upon information about the club that resides
directly underneath Club Menace. We’re hoping it leads us to clues
about our missing warrior and maybe to an explanation for the missing
citizens of Clearview.”
“That’s fantastic.” Jeremy moved the edge of the bed and got into his
wheelchair. For the first time ever, he didn’t bother with clothes or
cover up his legs. When he was around Lawson he felt comfortable and
not ashamed of his disfigured body.
“I thought you would say that.” Lawson walked over to kiss him on
the mouth deeply then pulled back. “But you have to promise not to go all
super cop on me and try to read everyone their rights and handcuff them.”
Lawson smirked, displaying all his perfectly white and sharp teeth.
“This crowd would rather tear out your throat than abide by human
laws.” He sighed. “And if anyone lays a hand on you, I’ll have to kill
them then it’ll get messy.”
“Glad you care so much.” Jeremy smiled. “And yes I do realize these
people probably wouldn’t adhere to my authority.” He rolled toward the
bathroom. “Like you, I want answers and will do whatever possible to
get them.” He looked over his shoulder at Lawson. “Care to join me?” he
asked with a wicked grin.
“Hell yeah!” Lawson jogged over to the open doorway and followed
him inside.
The bathroom, like the kitchen, had been remodeled to accommodate
him. A wide-open shower stall with glass doors. Jeremy had a standard
shower chair that sat in the middle of the tiled room over the drain. He
had chosen a white-and-black-swirled type design of tiles that lined the
walls and the shower. It looked crisp and bright.
Jeremy reached in to turn on the nozzle to let the water warm up. As
he started to roll toward the shower chair, a hand on his wheelchair
stopped him.
“Here, let me help you.” Without another word Lawson picked him
up out of his chair and placed him on the seat in the shower.
His face flushed. He didn’t like to be coddled, and he also couldn’t
believe the man could lift him with such ease. Even without legs Jeremy
still weighed in at one-eighty. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said a
little more sternly than he had intended.
“I know I didn’t.” Lawson smiled down at him. “But I wanted to, and
you, my lover, should let people help you.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t
make you weak, it just makes you human.” Jeremy took in the smile
radiating off of Lawson’s face and couldn’t help but want this man to
help him. It didn’t make him less of a man. It showed that he trusted
Lawson. “Plus, I was in hurry to do this.” Lawson climbed up on his lap
straddling the chair. The heat from his crack sent a wave of shivers over
Jeremy’s body.
“Goddamn, baby.” Jeremy hissed.
“You love it,” Lawson said without a hint of doubt in his tone. “Now
make love to me.” Lawson moved up and down riding Jeremy’s length
until the blunt tip pushed at his back entrance.
Jeremy dropped his hands to hold Lawson by the waist and let the
man ride his hardened cock. Lawson’s dick slapped between their
water-slicked bodies as he moved.
As Lawson gave in to his passion, Jeremy stared at the man and let
him take control. He had never seen a more beautiful sight than when
Lawson’s body became flushed and tight from arousal.
A tight pull and tingle generated in his balls, and Jeremy urged
Lawson to go faster. His eyes fell shut as a cascade of colors exploded
behind his eyelids.
Give in to him, a voice whispered inside his head. Accept his bite
and become whole again. Through blood and love forever will you be
bound together as mates.
Jeremy’s eyes snapped open, and he looked up at Lawson. The man
had his head tilted back, panting and gasping for air. Jeremy didn’t know
where the voice came from or what it meant, but he couldn’t deny that he
wanted to feel Lawson’s razor-sharp teeth pierce his skin. He had never
been a masochist, but fuck he needed to feel Lawson mark him as his,
connecting them in ways more than giving a verbal promise of forever.
“Do it!” he exclaimed. Lawson opened his eyes and looked down at
him with a question in his eyes, never stopping the rapid pace of his
hips. “Bite me.” Jeremy tilted his head to the side, exposing the tender
flesh of his neck.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for.” Lawson slowed his hips,
shaking his head at Jeremy.
“I said”—Jeremy thrust his hips up and jerked Lawson down hard-on
his probing manhood—“do it.”
He watched as Lawson’s golden eyes began to glow, and his lips and
cheeks expanded. Long and sharp teeth filled Lawson’s mouth. Never
once did Jeremy feel afraid, he just hungered.
“Please, Lawson,” he pleaded.
Lawson’s left hand tunneled through Jeremy’s hair then gripped his
hair tightly. A finger of his right hand traced along Jeremy’s neck, and
then, in a move so fast he never saw it coming, Lawson bit him, fast and
hard, causing lust to pour through his body. The teeth imbedded in his
neck didn’t hurt, just caused his dick to grow thicker and pre-cum to
ooze out the tip, slickening Lawson’s heated hole even more.
Slowly the teeth receded from his flesh and Lawson stared at him.
He brought his own arm up to his mouth and bit down on his wrist. The
bright crimson dripped down his arm turning a bright pink as the spray
from the showerhead rained down on them. Lawson climbed off
Jeremy’s lap and pushed the chair he sat on against the far wall where
the water didn’t touch them. His skin began to cool without Lawson’s
touch or the hot spray of water.
Lawson ran his fingers over the blood on his wrist then brought them
up to run across the bite on Jeremy’s neck. He watched in fascination as
Lawson then ran his blood cover fingers over Jeremy’s stiff cock. Once
the blood coated it from root to tip Lawson positioned himself over
Jeremy’s dick and lowered his body down.
The biting, the blood, and where Lawson put that blood didn’t bother
Jeremy. In his heart and soul he knew this was right. Some missing
connection that was now complete. He’d never felt so much love for
another person before, and whatever it was that Lawson just did made
sense to him even if Jeremy didn’t understand exactly. Jeremy never
made a habit of listening to the strange voices in his head, but he did
listen to the feeling churning in his gut. Lawson was his, and Jeremy
would do anything to keep it that way.
A crushing heat overflowed within his body, and Jeremy held
Lawson tighter, needing to come.
“I’m about to come,” Lawson moaned. “Come with me, Jeremy. Fill
me with your love.”
Jeremy’s fingers dug into Lawson’s sides, and he clenched his teeth
together and thrust his hips up in a stabbing force. His orgasm took him
by surprise as his gooey white load shot into Lawson, filling him full.
Lawson panted for breath then released a loud thundering roar as his cum
shot up onto Jeremy’s chin and chest. One of the most erotic sights
Jeremy ever had the pleasure to be a part of.
As Lawson’s hips began to slow, a numbing feeling spread over
Jeremy’s entire body. It was different than the usual after-sex glow. This
was more aggressive to where he couldn’t breathe. Jeremy gasped for
breath and clutched his hands to his chest as his body began to shake out
of control.
“Jeremy!” he could hear Lawson shout. “What’s wrong?” Lawson
slapped his hand lightly on his cheek, but Jeremy couldn’t move.
“Goddamn it, Jeremy, talk to me.”
He could see the terror in Lawson’s big brown eyes, but he was
helpless to do or say anything. His eyes grew heavy, and he felt his body
start to slouch in the chair.
As he fell into darkness, his last thought was that at least he could die
happy knowing for just a little bit this gorgeous man was his.
Chapter Twelve
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Lawson chanted as he drove at a breakneck speed
toward the hotel he and his friends were staying at. He kept flicking his
gaze toward Jeremy where he lay in the passenger seat.
After Jeremy passed out Lawson panicked, thinking he killed his
mate. Lawson felt for a pulse and found it beating a rapid tempo against
his fingertips. Relief shot through his stressed-out body but only to be
replaced with fear when his mate started to shake uncontrollably.
Lawson didn’t know what was wrong or what to do. He had never
heard of someone else’s mating going through something quite like this
before. It was as if his bite and the mating ritual had caused some kind of
allergic reaction for Jeremy.
What the fuck happened? he kept asking himself.
Once he pulled Jeremy from the shower, he laid him on the bed and
yanked on his pants. In his rush, he didn’t bother with his shirt or socks,
just yanked on his jeans and boots. He wrapped a sheet around his
mate’s naked body and ran out to his truck with Jeremy in his arms.
Clearview wasn’t a big town, but right now it felt gigantic. All
Lawson wanted to do was get to the other warriors to see if they could
help him with this predicament. He had the real fear that he had just
sentenced his mate to death, but how?
After what felt like an hour, but more like five minutes, he pulled into
the parking lot of the hotel they were staying at. Lawson jumped out,
slamming his door behind him, and ran toward the passenger side. He
looked down at Jeremy’s pale face, still no change. Lawson hefted
Jeremy into his arms and took the stairs up to his room two at a time. He
was thankful no other people were standing about to witness him
carrying an unconscious man with blood streaking down his neck. It
wouldn’t have looked good.
He kicked on the door he knew to be Cason and Elias’s. When no
one answered he kicked it again, denting the thick metal.
“What the fuck, man?” Elias snapped.
Lawson rushed past Elias toward the bed and laid Jeremy on the
mattress.
“Whoa, what the hell is wrong with that guy?” Elias asked. “Is he
dead?”
“Where’s Quinn and Cason?” Lawson ignored Elias’s question. As
of right now Jeremy wasn’t dead, but he didn’t know how long that
would last.
“What’s going on in here?” Quinn’s deep voice rumbled from the left
side of the room where he entered in through the connecting door
between the rooms.
“I was hoping you could tell me.” Lawson sat beside his mate,
stroking his hair. “We were in the shower”—he glanced up feeling
exposed by having to admit what he and Jeremy were doing—“being
intimate, when he asked me to bite him.” He looked at Quinn. “I hadn’t
told him about the blood-sex-magic ritual, but it was like he knew or
something.”
Jeremy’s words echoed in his ears. Bite me. Lawson shook his head
hard trying to focus on the present, and that consisted of figuring out what
was wrong with his mate and making him better.
“Holy shit!” Trevor walked around Quinn. “Lawson, dude, he’s
burning up.” Before Lawson could stop him, Trevor took the sheet off of
Jeremy’s body. “Fuck me!” Trevor looked up at hm. “Where’s his legs?”
When no one answered Trevor snapped his fingers together. “Dude has
no legs. Did you do this to him?”
At Trevor’s incriminating stare Lawson’s tempered spiked. “No!” he
shouted. “He lost his legs in an accident over a year ago.” He pointed to
the bottoms of Jeremy’s legs where they had been amputated. “These are
old scars, not new.”
“He agreed to be mated to you knowing he’d have to live an eternity
with no legs?” Trevor asked. “That took some balls on his part.”
Shame caused his face to flush. “He doesn’t know. I haven’t told him
yet.”
“You mated a human without telling him what he was getting
involved in?” Quinn asked in a harsh tone. “Not only will he live forever
with no legs, or at least he will if someone doesn’t lop off his head or
shoot him with a silver bullet, but he is now a lion shifter. What the hell
were you thinking, Lawson?”
“I don’t know.” Lawson fisted his hands in his hair and rested his
elbows on his knees. “He asked me to bite him. I guess on some level I
thought he knew what it meant.” It was a lame explanation because how
the hell would Jeremy have known? But the way Jeremy looked at him,
his voice deep and demanding. He could tell there was no way Jeremy
would not have let Lawson bite him. “What are we going to do?” He
looked to Quinn, praying the man had an answer.
Jeremy’s heaving breathing had Lawson jumping up on the bed to his
mate’s side. Sweat glistened on his body, and the muscles underneath his
pale flesh were pulled tight as his body tensed up. Jeremy had stopped
shaking and now lay completely still on the bed.
A soft, glowing light appeared and slowly surrounded Jeremy’s
body. Lawson jerked in surprise as the warm light touched his fingers.
“What the hell is that?” Trevor asked what they were all thinking.
“Call Ben,” Lawson said as he stared down at his mate.
Quinn pulled out his cell and did as Lawson requested. “Hey, Ben,
we have a problem.”
He could hear Quinn talking on the phone, but he couldn’t take his
attention from Jeremy. His handsome and strong mate lay lifeless on the
bed. If it weren’t for the steady beat of his heart and the rise and fall of
his chest, Lawson would think he was already dead.
“Lawson.” Quinn nudged his shoulder. “Ben’s on speaker phone.
Tell him exactly what happened.”
Lawson stared at the phone but couldn’t form any words to say. His
heart was breaking.
“Lawson, I know you’re scared, but tell me what happened.” Ben’s
comforting voice came over the line.
Lawson took a deep breath and told the story of how he met Jeremy
three days ago and how they were mates. He explained about Jeremy
losing his legs in an accident then about him losing his sister to vampires
and how he was on a mission to find his sister’s killer. He told Ben
about how only thirty minutes ago they performed the bonding ritual.
Everything seemed fine at first until Jeremy’s body went limp and he
began to convulse. His throat ached with unshed tears as he finished
talking.
“Did I do this to him?” Lawson’s’ voice hitched when he spoke. “Is
this some kind of punishment for not telling Jeremy up front about the
long lives paranormal beings live?”
“No, Lawson, this isn’t what happens even when a human doesn’t
know what they are in for,” Ben said, and that gave Lawson a little
relief. Ben had lived for over a thousand years and he knew a lot, but
Lawson could hear the bewilderment in Ben’s voice. “I’m going to call
Klaus and see if he has any answers. Don’t go anywhere and don’t do
anything until I call you back.”
Lawson sat and kept watch over his mate, praying Klaus had answers
for him. Klaus, being a witch and a member of the Council of
Paranormal Beings, had access to things that not even Ben would have.
He just hoped what was happening to Jeremy had happened before to
someone else.
The light encompassing Jeremy’s body grew brighter, almost
blinding. The sweat on his body dried up, and his skin looked like
marble. Jeremy lay there still as if dead but his breathing had evened out
and he looked, in Lawson’s opinion, rather peaceful.
Quinn’s phone started to ring and they all jumped.
“Hello,” Quinn said quickly into the phone. He nodded his head then
held the phone out. “You’re on speaker, Klaus. Go ahead.”
“Lawson, Ben briefed me on the situation. First off, let me say that
you didn’t do this to your mate, and he isn’t going to die.”
“Oh thank you god!” Lawson slumped over the edge of the bed. “So
what is happening to him?”
“There is a simple explanation, and I know this because I’ve seen it
before. See, Lawson, even you, who was born a lion shifter, come from
an ancestor that has been turned by a witch. So you have magic inside
you like all other shifters who have been turned by evil means,” Klaus
said in a calm voice.
“What does that mean?” He wasn’t following what Klaus was getting
at.
“It means even you, my furry friend, have magic, and that magic was
transferred by you to your mate when you bit him. This magic has
allowed your human mate to now become a lion shifter.”
“Uh, Klaus, I get that but what is going on with him passing out and
this freakish light surrounding his body?” Lawson asked as his eyes
roamed up and down Jeremy’s glowing body.
“Well, Ben said your mate was an amputee, correct?”
“Yes.”
“The magic that flows through us all has healing properties, makes us
strong and healthy. And in some cases whole again.” Klaus remained
silent for a moment, and the knowledge of what he said sank in.
“What the hell are you talking about, Klaus?” Trevor asked as he
paced the floor. “I swear you speak in riddles on purpose to confuse the
shit out of everyone else. How does Astrid put up with you?”
A smile slowly spread over Lawson’s face. The magic from being a
shifter was going to heal Jeremy, all of Jeremy. Not just make him
strong, durable, and a lion shifter, but also whole. He’d get his legs
back. If Jeremy had the use of his legs again maybe, just maybe he’d
forgive Lawson for making him immortal. Lawson didn’t care if Jeremy
had his legs or not, but he knew his mate wouldn’t want to live that way.
It had been a year since Jeremy’s accident and he still hadn’t come to
terms with the loss.
“He means Jeremy’s legs are going to grow back,” Lawson said with
complete certainty.
“Huh?” Trevor’s jaw dropped open.
Lawson smiled up at the young warrior then looked toward Quinn,
Elias, and then Cason, who had a tear in his eye.
“Yes, Lawson, you’re correct.” He could hear the smile in Klaus’s
voice. “Your mate’s body will regenerate, and when he wakes up from
his slumber he’ll be as he was before his accident.” Klaus chuckled.
“But along with that he will also have the ability to shift into a lion, so
you will need to explain that and train your new mate.”
“Not a problem.” Lawson wanted to get up and dance around the
room at the news. Training Jeremy how to shift would be a piece of
cake.
“All this sounds great, but I think he’s going to freak the fuck out
when he wakes up with legs and finds out he can grow a mane of fur.”
Elias’s words brought Lawson back to reality.
“It won’t be that bad.” He shrugged. “Or so I hope.”
“Lawson, ignore that Debbie Downer.” Trevor pointed toward Elias.
“I can see that you care a lot for this man, and if he feels the same then
everything else will work itself out.”
“Thanks, Trev.” Lawson got up and went to hug his friend. Trevor
was a loudmouth who said whatever came into his head, but he was also
a nice guy. Lawson knew Trevor to be a romantic, and he believed in his
friend’s thoughtful words.
“Okay, men.” Klaus voice echoed in the quiet room. “I need to go.
My mate and I need to head off to catch a flight from council
headquarters back to Missouri to the warriors compound.”
“Wait!” Lawson’s voice rose as he reached for the phone. “Do we
need to do anything for Jeremy?”
“No. The most important thing for him now is rest. Once he wakes
up, he’ll feel reborn.”
“Thank you, Klaus.” Lawson said good-bye and disconnected the
line. He reached down to pull the blankets up the bed to cover Jeremy’s
naked body and to respect his mate’s privacy.
Quinn, Trevor, Cason, and Elias left the room to so they could be
alone while Jeremy’s body healed. He could hear them in the next room
plotting out strategy for later that night when Trevor went to meet
Roman, their ticket, hopefully, into the club underneath Club Menace.
Lawson should have felt guilty for not helping his friends, but his
mate needed him. And even if Jeremy didn’t know he was there, Lawson
knew. Nothing in the world could tear him away from Jeremy, and he
couldn’t wait until his mate woke up to see that his body had been
restored.
Chapter Thirteen
With a big yawn and stretch, Jeremy rolled over, hugging the pillow
under his head close. He had the most amazing dream. He dreamt that he
was in a field with Lawson running in the sunshine. The bright rays
shined down and heated his skin. The sound of Lawson’s laughter
carried back to his ears as he chased him through the tall grass.
The running didn’t feel awkward. He looked down at his legs, and
they glided forward with the greatest of ease and no pain shot through his
knees as he rushed across the ground. When he looked back up he didn’t
see Lawson anywhere. He stopped running and turned in a circle
searching for the man he loved.
A loud roar had him spinning around, and he slowly crept forward.
He pushed the grass out of his way as he walked through the thicket.
Another loud roar sounded, and he walked at a near crawl as he got
closer to the ear piercing sound. There lying in the clearing was a large,
golden-haired lion. Its mane sparkled in the sunlight. It roared again, its
large head tilting to the side showcasing a set of large, blindingly white
teeth.
Under the lion’s fierce stare, Jeremy fell to his knees. Pain gripped
his stomach, and his hands shot out to keep him from falling. As sweat
broke out along his brow, he clenched his eyes shut. He took deep
breaths, forcing himself to gain control. He slowly opened his eyes and
stared at his hands. A glow highlighted his body, and his fingernails
lengthened into sharp claws.
Fear had him jerking, and he looked up and came face-to-face with
the lion. It gave him a curious look, and then, if it were possible, it
smiled at him.
Jeremy could feel his body changing. He felt as if he was being torn
apart from the inside out.
“Relax, Jeremy.” He looked up to see Lawson squatting down in
front of him. “Let the change come over you.”
He shook his head, not sure what Lawson meant. Spit dripped from
his mouth, and he was unable to swallow with the large teeth bulging at
his lips.
“Let it happen, baby.” Lawson smiled as he caressed his hand over
Jeremy’s face. “We can be together forever now.”
Jeremy winced as another jolt of pain ripped through his body. He
threw his head back and a roar left his lips, echoing in the sunlit
clearing.
“What the fuck!” Jeremy shouted as he sat up, gasping for air.
“Thank god!” He turned at the sound of Lawson’s voice. “You’re
awake.”
“Huh?” Jeremy managed to mumble out. His heart raced as the
remembrance of the dream still clouded his weary head.
“You’ve been asleep for nearly twenty-four hours. I was starting to
get worried.” Lawson stood up from the chair he was sitting in to come
sit at Jeremy’s side. “How do you feel?”
Jeremy rubbed his fingers along the temples of his head. Besides the
fucking weird dream he felt great, amazing actually. Then Lawson’s
words sunk in. “Twenty-four hours?” he shouted. “What the hell
happened?”
“You don’t remember anything from yesterday morning?”
It took him a moment, but Jeremy focused on the previous day. He
remembered waking up to Lawson in his arms then them taking a shower.
A grin eased over his face. Lawson was riding him so hard, the heated
water adding to his pleasure as they made love in the shower.
“By the smile on your face you remember us being in the shower
together.” Lawson giggled.
“You bet your ass I remember that.” His fingers itched to touch the
handsome man in front of him. “But beyond that I don’t remember shit.”
“I was afraid of that.” Lawson mumbled. “Let me ask you
something.” He took a deep breath. “How old do you think I am?”
“Excuse me?” His face scrunched up as he tried to make heads or
tails of what Lawson was saying. “What does that have to do with
anything?”
“Just answer the question.”
He gave the man an appraising look. Lawson didn’t have any
wrinkles marring his golden skin and his skin looked bright and healthy
and so did his brown eyes. All signs showcased a man still caught in his
youth. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Twenty-five.”
“I celebrated my twenty-fifth birthday ninety-three years ago,”
Lawson said in a serious tone.
Jeremy looked at the man, waiting to see a smile crack his worried-
looking face, but he never did. The man sat there just staring at him, no
signs of humor at all.
“You’re kidding right? That would make you….”
“One hundred and eighteen years old.”
Everything went still, and Jeremy felt like all the oxygen in the room
had been sucked out. One hundred and eighteen? That’s not possible.
“You remember me explaining to you about me being a shifter?”
Jeremy nodded his head, a cool sweat breaking out along his skin. “That
also entails being immortal.” Lawson pursed his lips and blinked one
eye. “Well, to be fair, I can be killed, but it just takes a lot of effort to
complete the task.”
“I don’t understand?” Jeremy asked.
“Being a paranormal means that I’m stronger than an average human,
I can change my form at will, and I can live an extremely long life as
long as I don’t get my head chopped off, long exposure to silver, blown
up, or have my throat ripped out.” Lawson took a much-needed breather.
“You get my point.”
Jeremy absorbed what Lawson had said, and the more he thought
about it the madder he got. He was in love with the man, and Lawson
would live forever while he shriveled up and died of old age. How was
that fair? How could the universe give him such happiness only to rip it
away from him?
“You get me to fall for you then you spring it on me that you will stay
young forever while I grow old and die?” He said the words through
clenched teeth. “Why did you even bother to be with me if you knew this
was our fate?”
“Excuse me?” It was Lawson’s turn to be surprised.
“You heard me!” he shouted. “I’m a broken man, Lawson.” He
smacked his fist against his chest. “Then you fly into my life and let me
fall in love with you only to tell me you will continue to live on long
after I’m dead to find love with someone else. Excuse me for being
upset.”
“Hold up.” Lawson raised his hand in the air. “Did you just say you
loved me?”
Oh shit! Jeremy’s jaw dropped open as he tried to search for
something to say. He did just say he loved Lawson. It was how he felt,
but he sure as hell didn’t mean to blurt it out to the man.
“You did!” Lawson waved away Jeremy’s babbling as he tried to
explain. “Don’t even try to take it back.” He pushed Jeremy’s hands out
of the way and scooted closer to kiss Jeremy’s quivering lips. “Because
it makes it easier to tell you what else I have left to say.”
“What more can there be?” Jeremy’s voice cracked as he spoke.
“Here’s the thing. Because we live for so long, Mother Nature, who
is the source of all magic, be it good or evil, found it fit to grant us the
love of one person to spend our lives with. This person will stay young
and strong forever. Equals in every way.”
“I’m not sure I follow.” Jeremy shook his head. Lawson sounded like
he was speaking a completely different language.
Lawson reached for Jeremy’s hand. “Jeremy, you are my mate.”
Jeremy stared at Lawson and slowly the memories from the other day
came flooding back. He remembered that voice in his head telling him to
let Lawson bite him. That through blood and love they’d be connected
together forever as mates. Lawson just used that same word. It had to
mean something.
“Mate?” he asked with a lift of his eyebrow. That word didn’t sound
foreign on his tongue. He just needed to understand its worth more fully.
“That’s the term we use to refer to the person we love the most.”
Lawson shrugged. “It’s like being married but without the wedding. And
our marriage will last a really, really long time.”
In a strange way it made sense. If these beings were immortal it did
only seem fitting to give them a lover to have by their side for all
eternity.
“So, Jeremy, what do you think?” Lawson chewed on his lower lip
while he waited for Jeremy to speak. “You think you could spend
forever with me?”
Honestly, what could he say? The past year of his life had been utter
shit, and now he was given this gift. He understood he’d live forever
with Lawson. Knowing he’d have to live forever as an amputee would
have bothered him more if he didn’t have Lawson by his side. But
something told him he could manage his way through anything as long as
he had the love of this man. Lawson made him want to be a better
person. If Lawson could see past his disability, then it was high time he
did, too, because he no longer had a choice. He wouldn’t waste his
eternity with Lawson moaning about the loss of his legs. He had too
many other things to live for now.
“I think.” Jeremy gripped Lawson’s hand tighter. “Being with you for
the rest of our now very long lives sounds perfect.” He pulled on
Lawson’s hand until he scooted closer and kissed his soft lips. “I love
you, Lawson.”
“I love you, too, but—” Lawson pushed at Jeremy’s chest. “There is
one more thing I need to tell you.”
“I’m all ears, babe.” Jeremy trailed his lips down Lawson’s jaw,
grinning like a fool as Lawson squirmed from his touch.
“The mixture of blood and semen not only bonded us together as
mates, but it also gives you the ability to become a lion like me.”
Jeremy’s lips stopped where they had been nibbling on Lawson’s
neck as the magnitude of what Lawson said sank in. The man stated
they’d be together forever and that he had the ability to become a lion
like him. It made the dream he had make more sense, but even in his
dream it looked and felt pretty painful. Something he didn’t really look
forward to doing.
“I’m not looking forward to the process of going from lion to man but
with my legs being gone maybe I won’t have to shift too often.” Being as
he didn’t have legs shifting into a ferocious lion was pretty pointless.
For all the scare he would cause he’d only be able to crawl around on
the ground. Jeremy was more than happy to leave the shifting bit to his
mate.
Mate? Damn that word still sounded strange to him.
“Your legs?” Lawson asked, his face scrunching up in a look of
confusion.
“Yeah, you know with them being gone and all.” Did he really have
to explain this to Lawson? At the blank stare he guessed he had to. “Not
having any legs makes shifting into a lion kind of pointless. The bad guys
would only laugh at seeing a big hairy cat sitting in a wheelchair.” He
tilted his head to the side in thought. “Would I even fit into my
wheelchair as a lion?”
A grin slowly lifted Lawson’s upper lip. “So let me get this straight.
Not having your legs doesn’t bother you anymore?”
“Well sure it bothers me, but I need to get past it.” He cupped his
hand on the back of Lawson’s neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.
Jeremy’s tongue dove deep to capture every sweet moan escaping his
man’s lips. “I can’t let my insecurities ruin our lives together,” he
whispered softly against Lawson’s lips.
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” He pecked a kiss to the tip of
Jeremy’s nose then jumped off the bed. Jeremy reached out to snag his
wrist, but the man was too fast. “Oh no, mister, if you want me you have
to come and get me.” He waggled his eyebrows while palming the bulge
in the front of his pants.
As cute as the little display was Jeremy could feel his temper starting
to surge. He was just told some pretty life-changing things, which, by the
way, he thought he took pretty well, and the man he loved now was
playing games with him.
“Lawson, that’s not funny.” He rubbed a hand over his forehead,
warding off the incoming pain.
“I know it’s not.” Lawson moved over to him and placed a finger
under his chin, lifting Jeremy’s face up to his. With all his attention on
Lawson’s mouth he didn’t feel the man rip away the sheet until it was
thrown to the floor. “Now get up and come get me.”
Lawson kept darting his eyes down toward Jeremy’s lap until finally
with a huff he looked down.
“Holy fucking shit!” He blinked his eyes, believing it must be an
illusion or that he was dreaming. That was the only explanation.
Jeremy wiggled his toes and gasped when they moved. He slowly
reached down and ran his fingertips along the soft hair growing on his
legs, feeling the sensation as he touched the skin. It all felt so real, but
how was it possible?
“Magic.” Lawson answered the question he hadn’t realized he said
out loud. “All paranormals originated from a source of magic. So when I
bit you, I not only bound us together and made you a lion shifter, it
healed the part of your body that had been taken from you.” Lawson
smiled. “You are whole again.” His breath hitched, and Lawson took a
deep breath as if he were in pain, and clutched his hand over his heart.
“But know this, with or without your legs, I still love you and that will
never change.” Tears streamed down Lawson’s cheeks as he became
overwhelmed with emotion.
Jeremy moved to the edge of the bed and reached for Lawson. He
pulled the man into his lap and held him close, rocking him back and
forth. The carpet felt rough under his feet, and he ran them over the
surface, relishing in the fact that he had feet again.
“So do you think you are going to be okay with all this?” Lawson
asked, his brow knitted tightly together.
“I think I’m going to be more than okay with it. Not just because I
have my legs back. Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond excited and grateful
to you for that, but it’s knowing I get to spend the rest of my life with you
that makes all this worthwhile. I love you, Lawson.”
He pulled Lawson in for another kiss, letting all his love and passion
seep into each lick and nibble. For once Jeremy looked forward to what
the future held. Not only did he have Lawson, but he now held the power
within himself to destroy the vampire that killed his sister.
Chapter Fourteen
“That was really sweet, but we need to talk about what I learned last
night.”
Lawson pulled away from Jeremy’s delicious lips and looked up at
Trevor. “Have you ever heard of knocking?” He shifted off of Jeremy’s
lap and pulled the sheet up and over his mate’s naked and very hard
cock.
“Sorry, guys.” Cason had the decency to look guilty for interrupting
them. “But we need to discuss what Trevor learned last night.” Cason
motioned from him to Jeremy. “And since you were preoccupied, we
didn’t want to disturb you.”
“No, it’s fine.” He smiled at his fellow warriors and waved them
into the room. “I appreciate the consideration.”
“Fuck me!” Trevor exclaimed as he knelt at Jeremy’s feet, inspecting
his legs. “That’s freaking amazing!”
“Um, excuse me.” Jeremy tapped Trevor on the shoulder and Lawson
had to bite back his laughter. “But could you stop fondling my legs. It’s a
little weird.”
“Trevor!” Quinn snapped. “Stop groping Lawson’s mate. Show some
respect.”
Trevor looked up at Jeremy then grinned over at Lawson. “Sorry,
Lawson, but you have to admit this is pretty fucking cool.” Lawson
nodded his agreement. “The power of magic.”
“Yes, Trev, it is.” He ruffled his hand over Trevor’s head. “But keep
touching my mate and I’ll have to kick your cute little ass.” He winked at
Trevor.
“Okay, okay.” Trevor held his hands up in self-defense and rose to
his feet. He sat down in the chair next to the bed that Lawson had sat in
as he kept watch over Jeremy the night before.
“So what did you learn from your date last night?” he asked.
“First off, Roman is kind of a dork. So cliché.” Trevor rolled his
eyes. “I mean, honestly, I’m a vampire and I don’t act like I’m some
child of darkness, but this guy?” Trevor blew out a whistle. “Overboard,
and the people at this mysterious club, all freaks and not in the good
way.”
“There’s a good way?” Jeremy asked.
“Hell yeah there is.” Trevor smirked at Jeremy.
Lawson held up his hand to keep Jeremy from asking Trevor more
questions. “So you got into the club?”
“Lion, please,” Trevor said in false annoyance. “Did you ever doubt
that I would?”
Lawson chuckled. “Never.”
“Good answer. So here’s what I found out last night.” Trevor told
them how he met up with Roman and they partied in Club Menace for
about an hour then went to the club below. He said there was a password
to get inside and that it changes every night. The club itself was dark and
had red flashing lights that hung overhead. Large TVs hung on the walls
displaying different sexual acts that involved blood covering the
people’s bodies. In the club itself Trevor had witnessed several
vampires engaged in sexual activities and biting the human occupants
that had been invited into the club.
“Were there only vampires there?” Lawson asked.
Trevor shook his head. “No, I scented some shifters. Werewolves I
think, but it was hard to tell. The scent of blood polluted the air like fire.
It was all I could smell.”
Lawson looked up at Quinn where he stood leaning against the wall.
The big man gave him a nod as if reading his mind. They had to get in
there and stop whatever was taking place in the under belly of Club
Menace.
“So how do we get in?” Lawson asked.
“Funny you should ask.” Trevor held up his phone. “Roman texted
me a little while ago and wants me to meet him at Club Menace again
tonight. Once I get the password, I’ll pass it on to you guys, then follow
me down.”
“Trevor, this is getting to be too dangerous. I’m not sure you should
go into that club. Once you get the password I want you to leave,” Quinn
said, as if that were the end of discussion, and Lawson knew a fight
would soon follow.
“Once again, who the hell do you think you are?” Trevor narrowed
his eyes at Quinn. “If it weren’t for me you wouldn’t have this
information, and the last time I checked I’m a fucking Warrior of the
Light so this is my job.” He stood up and walked out of Lawson’s room
and toward his own. He stopped at the door and looked over his
shoulder. “I don't need a babysitter, and the last time I checked you’re
not my mate, boyfriend, or even a fuck buddy, so stop acting like you’re
my father.” The young warrior slammed the door behind him.
“Trevor, you’re a selfish little brat who will be lucky to ever find a
mate. Grow the fuck up,” Quinn shouted at the closed door. Quinn
walked out the door leading outside of the hotel room. He, too, slammed
the door behind him.
Lawson could feel the tension in the air, but whatever was going on
between Quinn and Trevor wasn’t any of his business. Lawson’s mission
was simple and that was to find any information on Sayer. Since they
hadn’t found any definitive proof that Sayer was or had been in
Clearview, his next mission was to shut down the goings-on in Club
Menace and to find the vampire responsible for killing his mate’s sister.
“Those two have been acting weird since they got here.” Elias
plopped down in the chair Trevor had vacated. “If I didn’t know any
better I’d say they like each other.” Elias started to laugh. “That’s funny.
Like Quinn could ever like anybody. The man’s like a stone, no feelings,
no emotions to be seen.”
“He feels responsible for the young one.” Cason spoke up. “I can
relate. I feel the same way about you.” He rubbed his knuckles over
Elias’s head.
“So what do we do now?”
Lawson tore his eyes from his wrestling friends to look at his mate.
His beautiful and sexy mate. “Well”—Lawson looked down at his wrist
as if checking the time—“we have a few hours, we could, you know.”
He waggled his eyebrows at Jeremy.
“Absolutely.” Jeremy started to lean forward but the sounds of Cason
and Elias arguing back and forth had them pulling apart.
“Hey!” Lawson shouted to get their attention. “Do you mind?” He
waved a hand between him and Jeremy. “We’d like to be alone.”
“Oh, right.” Cason nudged Elias in the shoulder one more time and
the pair got up and left the room.
Lawson climbed up on top of Jeremy, straddling his hips, rubbing his
thickening erection into his mate’s answering bulge. “We’re finally
alone.” He dipped his head down to kiss his mate’s lips.
Jeremy’s fingers roughly grabbed at Lawson’s ass, and he groaned
from the dominating touch. Lawson surrendered his mouth to Jeremy’s
kiss, and his body went limp with need. Jeremy growled into the kiss and
held Lawson tight as he rolled over, trapping Lawson underneath him.
“Now I’m going to fuck you long and hard, the way I’ve been dying
to do.” Jeremy ground his hard cock onto Lawson’s.
“I thought what we had down already was pretty awesome.” Lawson
panted and his head fell back to rest on the mattress as Jeremy sucked
and nipped at his neck.
“Oh, but it can be so much better.” Jeremy didn’t give him a chance
to ask what he meant. The man dove in for another brutal kiss, and
Lawson let the man have his way with his body. Jeremy needed this, and
Lawson was more than willing to give up control to the man he had
already given his heart to.
* * * *
When night fell, Lawson, Jeremy, Quinn, Trevor, Elias, and Cason
loaded up in the black SUV, with Lawson driving. Trevor had texted
Roman back and said he’d meet him around eleven o’clock. They waited
that long because Trevor said he couldn’t look too eager because nothing
ever happened at the beginning of the night.
Lawson found himself at a table with Jeremy nursing a beer. The
other warriors fanned out around the club, keeping a close watch on
Trevor as he met up with his new friend.
“I’ve been thinking.” Lawson turned to look at his mate. Jeremy sat,
peeling the label off his beer bottle. “With everything that has happened
and with no family here, I could probably move away from Clearview.”
“What do you mean?” Lawson narrowed his eyes at Jeremy. They
hadn’t discussed it, but Lawson just assumed that Jeremy would live
with him and become a member of the Warriors of the Light. It made
sense since Jeremy was a cop. He already knew how to handle himself
in stressful situations. Lawson had witnessed his mate hold his own
against a vampire and that was before Jeremy had his legs back.
“All I have here is my job, and now with my new condition”—
Jeremy grinned at Lawson—“I’m not really sure how I’d explain that my
legs grew back.” He chuckled. “Saying that it was due to magic would
make them all think I’m crazier than they did before.”
“Yeah, they would probably want to dissect you or something crazy.”
Lawson teased then leaned forward to kiss Jeremy lightly on the lips.
“So what are you saying?” He held Jeremy’s deep blue stare with his.
“I’m saying if it’s okay with you I’d like to live with you.” Jeremy let
out a nervous laugh. “I don’t even know where that is, but if you’re there
that’s where I want to be.”
Lawson didn’t say anything, just took hold of the front of Jeremy’s
shirt and kissed him hard on the mouth. Jeremy whimpered and moaned
into his mouth as Lawson showed his happiness with action, not words.
When breathing became necessary Lawson pulled back.
“I take that as a yes?” Jeremy grinned.
“You bet your ass it is.” Lawson couldn’t conceal his excitement. He
had hoped Jeremy would come live with him but he wasn’t sure if it
would have been a fight. Clearview was Jeremy’s home but like his mate
said there really wasn’t anything keeping him here anymore.
“Wait fifteen minutes.” Lawson jumped when Trevor whispered in
his ear. “Then go toward the back of the club. There’s a black metal
door open, and walk downstairs. The password is crimson.” The young
man giggled. “They’re so lame.” Before he straightened he said, “Tell
the others.”
Lawson didn’t look up at Trevor, just kept his head bent close to
Jeremy’s. With his mate being a lion shifter, Lawson knew Jeremy heard
every word. Once he thought Trevor was a good distance away, he
looked up to meet Jeremy’s gaze.
“This is it,” Jeremy said. Excitement had the blue of his eyes
swirling like waves crashing into shore.
“Yep.” Lawson stood up. “Let’s go find the others.” He gulped down
the remainder of his beer then took Jeremy by the hand, leading his mate
behind him.
Jeremy stepped closer and threw his arm over his shoulders. Lawson
looked up at his mate as he moved with ease through the crowd of
dancing bodies. It amazed Lawson how easily his mate moved around.
He thought it would be an adjustment getting used to having his legs
back, but his mate didn’t miss a beat.
Lawson could tell by the gleam in his mate’s eyes that he liked the
new him. Besides having his legs back, this made the man a good four
inches taller than Lawson. He had the new vigor of being a shifter. The
freedom to change forms could be euphoric, especially to a new shifter.
Lawson just prayed they could get in and out without too much of a fight.
They needed to stop what was going on in this small town, but he didn’t
want to risk his mate’s or his friends’ lives by doing so either.
Chapter Fifteen
After meeting up with the others, Jeremy and Lawson made their way
toward the black metal door. Jeremy could feel his blood pumping
through his veins. He couldn’t wait to confront the vampire that took his
sister from him. With his legs back and being part shifter, he had full
confidence he could rip that fucker’s heart out.
“You nervous?” Lawson asked.
“Nope.” Jeremy rested his hand on the small of Lawson’s back and
leant closer to his ear. “Are you?”
“Are you kidding me?” Lawson chuckled. “I live for this shit.”
Lawson reached up and kissed him on the mouth then pushed open
the door. The entryway leading down was dimly lit, only enough light so
showcase the dark-colored stairs.
“Stay behind me.” Lawson held his arm out, not letting Jeremy pass
him.
The cop in Jeremy said to get in front of Lawson, to protect him from
the unknown danger they were walking into, but he held back. Lawson
was just as capable as him, even more so in the paranormal world.
The lower the stairs took them, the louder the music became. When
they finally reached the lower level of the club, a man stood at another
door. The large man wore sunglasses and all black. He showed no
reaction as Jeremy and Lawson neared him.
“Crimson,” Lawson said.
Without a word spoken, the man waved them through the door.
Jeremy’s nostrils flared as the heavy scent of blood met his nose. The
aroma made his stomach cramp, and he felt like he would be sick.
“Take steady breaths.” Lawson patted him on the back. “We have to
blend in.”
“I know.” Jeremy coughed into his hand. “It’s just that smell is so
strong.”
“That’s a vampire club for ya.” Lawson laughed.
The floor plan for this club was similar to Club Menace. The lighting
was darker and the music a little more dreary, almost hypnotic. Jeremy
looked around and people in different styles of dress mingled around.
The one thing the majority all had in common was pale skin and black
clothing. He and Lawson stood out in their jeans and T-shirts but they
weren’t the only ones. Jeremy assumed all the invited guests were the
people in regular clothes, unknowing what awaited them down here.
“Would you gentlemen care for a shot?” a waitress, in a black
leather dress that barely covered her ass or boobs, asked.
Jeremy picked up one of the small little tubes and smiled a thanks to
her. When she walked away, Lawson turned to him.
“This must be that drug Trevor told us about.” He sniffed it. “It has
vamp blood in it.”
“It does?” Jeremy smelled it. “How can you tell the difference?”
“Vampire blood is a bit stronger and sweeter. It’s from having to
drink so many different types of blood, and it keeps theirs fresh.”
Lawson explained.
“Hey, guys,” Cason whispered. “A dismal bunch of freaks, aren’t
they.”
“You know it, Cason,” Lawson said over his shoulder while looking
away from them. “Make the rounds and let’s not be too obvious that
we’re all together.”
“Gotcha,” Cason said as he made his way across the crowded room.
“Not you, though.” Lawson grabbed Jeremy by the arm as he turned
to walk away. “We stay together. You’re new to all this, and being a lion
shifter who hasn’t shifted yet isn’t a good thing.”
Jeremy frowned down at him. “What do you mean?”
“Young shifters or new shifters can’t always control their shift. So if
you get upset you could fall to all fours, sprout fur, and roar so loud the
walls will shake.”
He hadn’t thought about it. Jeremy understood he no longer was
completely human, but he hadn't tested the boundaries on what he was
capable of.
“Just stay calm and next to me.” Lawson stepped up close to
Jeremy’s side. “We can do this.”
Jeremy nodded his head and let Lawson lead him around the club.
Thanks to his new and improved eyesight he could see everything even
with the low lighting. People swayed to the music, looking completely
oblivious to everything around them.
Flashing lights from the far wall had Jeremy turning around. On the
screen were images of a man. He was tied down to a black marble table.
His naked body was covered in blood and red bloody marks. Somebody
on the screen was walking around the table, talking to the man being held
prisoner. The captive’s head twisted from side to side, his eye
blindfolded. The sound on the TV was silent so Jeremy couldn’t hear
what was being said to the man, but by the way the man’s body trembled
it couldn’t have been good. The man walking around the table stopped by
the man’s head and ripped the blindfold from his eyes. His eyes looked
like sunken black holes, but Jeremy could see the very real terror in his
eyes.
“Oh my god!” Lawson shouted. “That’s Sayer.” Lawson grabbed
Jeremy’s hand and rushed forward. “We need to find the others. There’s
something going on here.”
Jeremy followed close behind Lawson. Sayer was a warrior that had
been missing for over a year. Lawson didn’t say it, but Jeremy could tell
the man was losing hope they’d find him alive, but now Jeremy didn’t
know what to think.
“Excuse me,” Jeremy said as he bumped into a petite woman. She
kept walking, not acknowledging him. He watched as she disappeared
into the crowd, unsure why he couldn’t tear his eyes from her, then he
saw it. She turned around, and for a brief moment her eyes met his but
they weren’t blue anymore, they were black as night. “Addison,” he
mumbled through numb lips.
“Jeremy,” Lawson growled as he pulled on Jeremy’s arm.
He shrugged off Lawson’s hold and pushed his way through the
crowd. He caught a glimpse of Addison’s long, wavy brown hair as she
slipped through the mass of people.
“Jeremy, for the love of god, stop.” Lawson yanked him around.
“Let go of me,” he demanded, trying to break Lawson’s hold. His
breathing came out in heavy pants as he fought to get away. A prickling
sensation crept over his skin, and something sharp pushed at his lips.
“You need to get control of yourself, baby,” Lawson said in a soft
and soothing voice. “If you shift in here it could be really bad.” Lawson
looked over his shoulder than back to Jeremy.
“I’m trying.” Jeremy tried to calm his racing pulse. “My sister, she’s
here.”
“What?” Lawson shook his head.
“I don’t think she’s human anymore.” He turned to search for her but
didn’t see her anywhere. “Her eyes, they’re black as night. When she
looked at me there was nothing there, like she didn’t even recognize me.”
“This isn’t good.” Lawson spun in a circle looking for the others.
“First the images of Sayer on the TV screens then your sister just
happens to be alive and here, not good at all.”
“Didn’t you get enough when you were here the other night, human?”
Jeremy slowly turned around at the sound of the bastard that had
attacked him. He came face-to-face with the man’s pale face, dark eyes,
and sharp, pointy fangs as he hissed at Jeremy. It all became clear now.
This thing turned his sister, but she wasn’t like Trevor or Quinn.
Addison had turned dark.
“You motherfucker!” Jeremy lunged for the vampire.
The man easily dodged him and leapt to the side, but before he could
strike him, Jeremy spun around and grabbed him by the wrist. The
vampire’s eyes went wide as he caught his arm in midair.
“How did you do that?” The vampire shook his head, black hair
fanning about his face. “That’s not possible.”
“If you only knew.” Jeremy’s words came out garbled as his teeth
lengthened. His fingers began to turn to claws, and he ripped the vamp’s
shirt where he had a hold on it. “Not so much fun when it’s a fair fight,
now is it you piece of shit.”
“What are you?” the vampire asked as he fought to get free from
Jeremy’s hold.
“Pissed off!” Jeremy snapped as he lifted the man in the air. “You
took my sister from me, and now I’m here to get my revenge.” A rush of
adrenaline jolted through his veins. He looked down to see hair
lengthening along his arms.
“Your sister!” The vamp threw his head back and laughed. “Listen
here, shifter.” The man’s eyes gleamed widely. “You can’t take what is
so freely given. She wanted to be with me.”
Jeremy yanked the man closer and snarled. He couldn’t control his
emotions and could feel his body begin to tingle.
“Jeremy, watch out!” he heard Lawson shout.
Jeremy turned around, still gripping the vampire with his right hand,
to see another man running at him, fangs bared. He brought up his left leg
and caught the man right in the chest, sending him flying through the air.
The room went silent for a heartbeat, then all hell broke loose. Men
and women, some human some not, charged forward while others rushed
for the exits. Jeremy watched as Lawson took down one after another
with a simple flick of his wrist. Encouraged that Lawson would be okay,
he turned back to the vampire. He roared so loud, the man reached up to
clench his hands around his ears. A smile, or something close to it,
spread over his face. It was time for this man to be scared.
Chapter Sixteen
It all happened to so fast Lawson didn’t know what to do. Jeremy
grabbed the vampire guilty of taking his sister. The vamp taunted Jeremy,
and from the looks of it, his sister wasn’t dead. She was something far
worse, a Warrior of the Dark.
As he fought off four other vamps, he could see Cason, Elias, Quinn,
and Trevor battling their own fights in the distance. Mass chaos broke
out within the club, people running for the exits while others began to
fight. They were outnumbered, but as Lawson caught a glimpse, they
were holding their own against this nest of vampires. And with as
worried as he was, he felt pride at seeing his mate fight with great ease.
The vampire in his meaty fist didn’t have a chance.
Lawson went back to his own fight, and that was when he heard it.
He peeked over his shoulder to see Jeremy toss the vampire in his hold
to the ground. His mate clenched at his waist and doubled over. A
shimmering light surrounded Jeremy then where once stood a man now
stood a large lion with dark brown hair mixed with its golden mane. A
set of dazed blue eyes looked around the room as the lion took in the
sights. Jeremy had shifted, and more shouts rang out in the dark club.
“You filthy animal.” A voice hissed at him before a fist connected
with Lawson’s cheek. His head snapped to the side. “Your kind isn’t
welcomed here.”
“A little prejudiced, isn’t it?” Lawson asked as he rubbed at his chin.
“You’re going to die!” the man snarled as he lunged for him.
He easily grabbed the vamp by the neck, letting his claws sink into
the soft flesh of its neck. “Not today I’m not.” Lawson tightened his hold
and pulled. The sound of skin met his ears as he ripped the vampire’s
throat from his body. A flash of fear clouded the man’s eyes before they
went blank.
“Lawson, turn around!” Elias’s shout came a second too late.
Lawson was sent sprawling across the floor, trampled by people
trying to get out. Between the fight raging around them and a lion on the
loose, people were rushing about in a panic. He tried to get to his feet
but the screaming humans just pushed him further away from his friends.
A man in all black with his hair pulled back into a ponytail
approached Elias as he fought another vampire. Lawson tried to get up
and shouted out a warning that fell on deaf ears as the screaming and
shouts around him drowned his out. Just as the man reached Elias, Cason
leapt forward, catching the vampire across the face. The man’s head
snapped to the side, but he was a giant, standing at least six inches taller
than Cason and filled out with muscles. The man punched Cason in the
face then grabbed Cason around the throat.
“No,” Lawson whispered as he tried to come to his feet, his head
shaking back and forth. “Cason!” he screamed as he watched the
vampire, in one quick move, pull Cason’s throat from his body.
Lawson stumbled back as he got to his feet. He watched as his
friend’s lifeless body fell to the floor. Elias turned around in time to
catch Cason’s body before it crashed to the floor. Tears sprung to his
eyes as the knowledge hit him. Cason was dead, his friend was gone and
never coming back.
The vampire turned to Lawson and slowly licked his fingers clean,
smiling the whole time. Something in Lawson snapped, and he ran
forward, shoving people out of his way. He leapt at the man and clung to
his chest. He had taken the vampire by surprise as he ripped and beat at
his chest. The vamp snapped his fangs and tried to throw Lawson off
him, but it was no use. Lawson sunk his claws deeper into the large
chest, digging and pulling at the corded muscle. When Lawson’s claws
scraped across the vampire’s rib cage he moved his hands to grip at the
hard bone and yanked causing the vamps chest to gape open. Blood fell
to the floor like a water fall but the vampire never wavered until Lawson
gripped the vampire’s black heart in his hand and pulled.
“This is for my friend,” Lawson snarled into the man’s face. He
squeezed as he pulled back, taking pleasure in the sounds of pain and
fear that were ripped from the man’s mouth, then silence.
Trevor and Quinn continued to fight around them, and Lawson
crouched down next to Elias. His friend’s face had gone white, and
blood oozed from his neck. Cason was gone.
“He’s dead,” Elias said in shock. “It’s not fair.” He shook his head
as he pulled the fallen warrior closer to his chest.
The sounds of more roaring broke through Lawson’s racing mind. He
turned in the direction of the sounds to see Jeremy, still in lion form,
chase after the vampire responsible for taking his sister.
“Go!” Quinn shouted down at him. “Your mate needs you.”
Lawson looked back to Elias as he slumped over Cason’s dead
body. There was nothing else he could do for his friend and sprung to his
feet and chased after his mate.
* * * *
While in lion form, Jeremy had been surprised that he still could
think as his human self. The whole experience felt weird, but not in a bad
way. He felt strong and powerful, able to take on the world, but right
now his eyes were set on one single vampire.
As the fight raged on around him the vampire had been his only
concern. He wanted answers.
The vampire broke free and ran for the door. Lawson looked behind
him, seeing that Lawson was going at it with another vampire but his
boyfriend was winning the fight, so Jeremy took off after the vampire.
People moved out of his way as he approached. Who wouldn’t? Had
Jeremy seen a lion coming his way he’d move to the other side of the
room as well.
The door the vampire went out had shut behind him. Lawson didn’t
know how to change back to his human self to open the door, so he
charged for it. The door came down as if it were a sheet being blown in
the wind. He climbed the steps, going faster on four legs than two. When
he reached outside, he stepped cautiously around the trash and debris
covering the ground. He listened for any signs of the vampire he’d been
chasing.
“She wanted it you know.” Jeremy whirled around to see the
vampire squatting down on the top of a dumpster. “In fact, she begged me
to make her like me.” The evil creature grinned at him. “How could I
resist. She is my mate after all.”
The man’s words were like a blow to the head, and Jeremy fell back
a step.
Mate? That can’t be ! His mind tried to convince him. There had to
be another reason. Lawson and he were mates, and he knew what they
were to each other. He couldn’t believe this was the fate set upon his
sister.
“Didn’t expect that, did you, kitty?” The vampire jumped to the
ground. “See, being mates means Addison and I belong together. What
we feel for each other is stronger than anything she felt for you.” The
man paced back and forth, letting his hurtful words sink in. “Personally I
think she longed for a way out of the life she had been forced to live. I
mean, she was stuck taking care of you, her gimp of a brother.”
Jeremy hissed, baring his teeth. He didn’t believe this piece of shit.
He loved Addison and she loved him.
“Don’t believe me?” He arched a brow. “Just ask her yourself.”
The vampire stepped aside, and Jeremy stared as his sister glided
forward. Her once blue eyes were lifeless orbs of black. Addison’s skin
still had a healthy glow, and her wavy brown hair bounced with every
step she took, but she seemed different somehow.
“Jeremy?” Addison’s soft voice asked.
Jeremy didn’t know how it happened, but his body jerked and
twisted. He cringed in pain as he body began to change.
“Addison,” he whispered from where he knelt on the dirty ground.
Jeremy slowly stood up, not trusting his legs to hold him.
“Oh my god!” Addison said in awe. “Your legs, they’re back. How
can that be?”
“Magic,” he simply said. “Me being part human and part lion isn’t
much different than you being a vampire, now is it, sister?”
“Lion?” Addison shook her head.
Jeremy took a step closer to Addison. The vampire behind her stood
clasping his big hands on her shoulders. He had to get her away from
him. “Addison, come to me.” He held out his hand, beckoning his sister
to him. “I can explain everything to you when we get home.”
“Home,” Addison said and then began to laugh. “I’m not going
anywhere.” She reached up to pull the vampire’s arms around her waist.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you know the truth, but I’m not leaving
Michael.” She looked over her shoulder up at the man standing behind
her. “I love him. He’s my mate.”
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” he snapped. “He’s a monster
who stole you away in the middle of the night.” He couldn’t believe what
his sister had said. Did she not remember being taken from her home in
the middle of the night? Did she not care that this man was a killer?
“No, Jeremy.” Addison smiled at him. “He gave me back my life. I
feel freer than I’ve ever been.”
Jeremy stood there and watched as Michael bent forward and kissed
his sister full on the mouth. He made a sound of disgust, and Michael
opened his eyes to stare at him as he took Addison’s lips in an
aggressive kiss.
“I’m going to kill you!” Jeremy started to walk forward.
“No you won’t, brother.” Addison turned back to him. “I’ll kill you
before you ever get the chance.” She smiled, but it wasn’t Addison’s
smile. It was more evil and cold.
“Jeremy, get away from her.” Jeremy’s eyes darted to the side to see
Lawson coming through the back door. “She’s not the sister you knew.”
“Listen to your friend.” Addison began to laugh. “I’m better than I
was before. I see things clearly now.”
“Addison.” Jeremy stared at her, trying to see some remembrance of
the sister he once knew. “Come with me. Maybe there’s a way to make
you better. You can’t possibly want to stay this way?” Jeremy couldn’t
believe that his sweet-hearted sister would voluntarily choose to be like
this, an evil, uncaring thing.
“Make me better?” She lifted an eyebrow at him, her lip curling into
a grin. “I’m already better than I ever was—you just can’t see that. All
you want is the wimpy girl who needed you to take care of her. Well,
brother, I don’t need you anymore. I have a new life with a new family.”
“Ignore her,” Lawson said to him. “She’s not the same person. She’s
lost her humanity by giving in to her dark side. This isn’t the Addison
you knew.”
Addison and Michael both began to laugh.
“He’s right, Jeremy. I’m not the same person.” Addison stared at him
with cold eyes. “And I don’t want to go back to the way things were
before. Do you really think I liked having to take care of you?” She
laughed again. “You were sucking the life out of me day by day.
Sniveling like a baby all because you lost your legs.” He chuckled.
“Yeah it sucks, but you needed to move on. But you couldn’t, could
you?” She looked over to Michael. “Michael saved me from a life of
nothingness.”
Addison pulled something from behind her back. From the poorly lit
street lights above them, Jeremy could make out the glint of something
metal.
“Jeremy, get behind me,” Lawson whispered as he moved to stand in
front of him.
“That’s right, big brother,” Addison taunted him. “Listen to your
friend.” She held up a gun.
“Ah, baby, let me kill them for you.” Michael placed a hand over
Addison’s. “It’d be my pleasure.”
“Addison.” It was the only word Jeremy got out before Quinn sprung
from the open door.
Quinn flung himself at Michael before the man even had a chance to
react. They flew through the air landing on the other end of the alley
against a brick wall. Addison screamed in horror as the two men went
down. A distinct growl came from their direction then muffled moaning.
Quinn sat up and turned to the side, spitting something red and fleshy to
the ground.
“No.” Addison screamed in horror as she raised the gun, aiming for
Quinn’s head.
It all happened so fast Jeremy didn’t have a chance to move, and
neither did Lawson. Trevor sprung from the door and jumped in front of
Quinn. A lone shot rang out, sending Trevor to the ground. Quinn
released Michael and crawled over to Trevor.
“You’re going to die for taking him.” Addison raised the gun,
pointing it at Quinn.
“Addison, no!” Jeremy screamed. He didn’t know what to do. She
was his sister, but she wasn’t the same. He stood there, cemented to his
spot as Lawson lunged for his sister. Loyalty to Addison and to Lawson
waged a war inside him. He had to make a choice.
Before he could decide, Addison and Lawson started to fight. The
gun had been knocked from her hand as Lawson sat straddling her. Not
knowing what else to do, Jeremy rushed forward and snatched up the
gun, unsure who he was going to have to use it on.
Chapter Seventeen
Lawson watched as Jeremy’s sister shot Trevor. In the poor lighting
he could still see the trickle of blood as it ran down the young warrior’s
forehead. Quinn screamed in pain as he rushed toward their fallen friend.
“You’re going to die for taking him from me.” Addison raised her
hand and took aim at Quinn.
Lawson made a decision that he hoped his mate understood in time.
He ran toward Addison and tackled her to the ground. She snarled and
bit at him, but he held her off.
“I’m going to kill you!” she shrieked.
Addison arched her back, sending Lawson sailing backward. He fell
hard onto the ground with a thud. The air had been knocked from his
lungs. The jolt against the wall knocked him dizzy, and he couldn’t get
his eyes to focus.
“Do you think because you’re a man you’re better or stronger than
me?” Addison reached down and picked Lawson up by the front of his
shirt. “Well I have news for you, you aren’t.” She bared her razor-sharp
teeth, getting ready to strike.
“Addison, stop!” The sound of Jeremy’s voice stopped her. She
turned to look at her brother. “Sister, please stop. This isn’t you.”
Lawson could hear the tears clogging his mate’s throat.
“Jeremy, grow up,” Addison shouted as she banged Lawson against
the wall. His head ached and his mind went groggy. “You don’t know me
anymore. He’s going to die for this.” She tilted her chin, indicating Quinn
where he sat crying over Trevor’s body. “He’s next.” Lawson couldn’t
believe the smile that lit up her face. “Then you, brother. I’m going to
enjoy squeezing the life from your body.”
Addison turned her attention back to Lawson. In her excitement,
drool dripped from the fangs that protruded from her mouth.
“I can’t let you do that,” Jeremy said, and Lawson heard him cock
back the trigger.
Addison either didn’t hear him or didn’t care because she lunged for
Lawson’s neck. Before she could pierce his flesh a shot echoed in the
quiet alley. Her eyes went wide as she looked up at Lawson. Blood
began to drip from the side of her mouth, and a wet spot blossomed on
the front of her shirt. Lawson looked over her head to see Jeremy aiming
the gun at her head. Addison threw Lawson to the ground and rounded on
her brother.
“You’re going to pay for that.” Addison took a step forward. Another
shot sprung from the gun, and the woman fell backward, staring lifelessly
up at the night sky.
Lawson saw the blood and bone fly up into the air as Jeremy shot a
bullet into her head. She lay on the ground dead.
“Jeremy.” Lawson stepped around the dead body went to his mate’s
side.
Jeremy dropped the gun and fell to his knees. Tears fell from his
eyes, but he didn’t make a sound. Lawson started to get concerned.
“Jeremy, please talk to me.” He wrapped his arms around Jeremy’s
naked chest. “Say something.”
“There’s nothing to say.” Jeremy shook his head. “You were right,
that thing wasn’t my sister. The Addison I knew died that night six
months ago.”
It was true, but Lawson hadn’t expected Jeremy to be so accepting of
that so soon. But his mate witnessed the cruelty in his sister’s words and
the way she acted. Any part of the Addison Langston Jeremy knew had
truly died, and nothing would ever bring her back. Death was the only
way to save her.
“At least now I can bury her next to my parents.” A sob escaped
Jeremy’s lips. “She deserves to be laid to rest.”
Lawson kissed Jeremy on the side of the head and helped him to his
feet. “Yes, she does.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Lawson followed his mate’s gaze as he
looked over at Quinn.
“Shit!” Lawson ran forward and slid on his knees next to Quinn and
Trevor. “Is he alive? Oh god, please say he’s alive.”
“Barely,” Quinn said, his voice was barely above a whisper. “He
has a pulse, but it’s shallow.”
“Move out of the way.” Jeremy pushed Lawson over so he could sit
next to Trevor. He put his fingers to Trevor’s neck then examined where
the bullet had entered. “Looks like the bullet skimmed the top of his
head, but I can see a piece still lodged into his skull.”
Lawson looked over Jeremy’s shoulder at Trevor’s head. Blood
leaked out the wound and hair and skin were shoved back from where
the bullet entered his head. He could see fragments of bone and brain
matter in the opening.
“We need to get him to a hospital,” Jeremy suggested, looking up at
Quinn then to him. “That bullet needs to come out.”
“We can’t take him to a human hospital,” Lawson answered. “He’s
not human.”
“You’re a cop.” Quinn looked up at him. “Can’t you do something?
Don’t you guys having training in first aid?”
“First aid, not surgically removing bullets from another person’s
head.” Jeremy looked at the wound, gently touching the area. “I’d need
tweezers to grab at the bullet.”
“Use your claws!” Quinn snarled at him. “It’s a silver bullet. If we
don’t get it out soon he will die.”
Lawson put a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “You can do this. I’d do it,
but I’m still seeing double from the blow your sister gave me.” He
squeezed his hand, trying to give strength to his mate. “Help save
Trevor.”
Jeremy held his stare, and something flashed in his eyes. He gave a
swift nod then held up his hand. “Fuck! How do I make my nails grow?”
Jeremy tensed up his hand trying to force the change.
“Relax, baby.” Lawson lightly stroked his fingertips over Jeremy’s
raised hand. “Take a deep breath. Visualize what you want to happen.
Think of you hand growing wider and your nails lengthening to deadly
points,” he whispered into Jeremy’s ear. “You can do this. I believe in
you.”
Lawson watched as his mate did as he said. Jeremy’s eyes fell shut,
and his forehead pinched in concentration. Slowly, Jeremy’s fingers
began to change and his fingernails grew to sharp points. Jeremy was
able to just change his one arm.
“Holy shit! It worked,” Jeremy said in awe as he looked at his hand.
Shaking off his excitement, Jeremy leaned over Trevor’s body and
got to work. Lawson’s head still thundered with pain, but he kept from
swaying to the side and falling over. In less than a minute Jeremy pulled
his thumb and forefinger back, covered in blood, and dropped the small
piece of metal to the ground. The wound didn’t heal immediately. It
slowly stopped bleeding and the skin started to knit back together.
“Do you think he’ll be all right?” Jeremy asked.
“I’m not sure, but I hope he will.” Lawson answered the best he
could. “Let’s help Quinn get Trevor to the car. Let’s call the police and
report what happened out here and let them discover your sister’s body.
With the two deaths here in the alley it’ll be enough for your police force
to look more deeply into the club.”
“I hope it’s enough to shut this place down.” Jeremy stood up. “Or at
least keep people from coming here.” He turned and looked around him.
“Where are Elias and Cason?”
“Elias is still inside the club.” Lawson felt like someone clasped a
fist over his heart. “Cason, uh, he didn’t make it.”
Jeremy gave him a sympathetic look but didn’t ask any question,
which Lawson was grateful for. His mate walked over to his sister and
knelt at her side. He whispered something into her ear then leaned
forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Quinn stood up and bent down to pick up Trevor’s body. The man
still hadn’t healed completely. Quinn carried him out of the alley and
toward the parking lot.
In the distance Lawson could hear the sounds of sirens as they grew
closer. He turned toward the back door to see Elias walking out,
carrying Cason’s dead body in his arms.
“I couldn’t leave him behind.” Tears streaked Elias’s face. Lawson
rushed forward and tried to take the large man from Elias’s arms. “No, I
got him.” Elias’s gripped tightened on Cason’s body. “Just lead me back
to our car.”
Lawson, with Jeremy by his side, walked out of the alley with Elias
following behind them. They reached the parking lot across the street and
climbed into the SUV. As they pulled out, Lawson saw the flashing lights
from the police cruisers as they surrounded the front of the club. People
milled about outside, crowding the streets. Before too long, the police
would discover the dead bodies in the club below as well as the two
dead bodies outside in the alley.
One part of this nightmare was over, but one mystery still needed to
be solved and that was locating Sayer. The images of the man on the TV
screens were of Sayer. Lawson just needed to find the person
responsible for playing them on the screen and maybe find some answers
as to where their abducted warrior was being held.
Chapter Eighteen
Lawson, Quinn, Trevor, and Elias returned to Jeremy’s house. He
had them put Trevor in Addison’s old room. Quinn never left Trevor’s
side the entire time. Jeremy wasn’t an expert on mates and all that they
entailed, but he could see that Quinn cared a great deal for Trevor, and
he hoped the man woke up soon.
The following day, his captain at the station called and asked him to
come into the station. Jeremy knew what it was about but feigned
ignorance and went to meet with the man.
Jeremy wore long pants to cover up his legs. Paranormal beings
lived in secret, and he couldn’t explain to his friends how he magically
got his legs back. They wouldn’t understand, and he didn’t want to be
dissected like some kind of alien.
Captain Forrester met him at the door. He said they had found
Addison’s body but needed Jeremy to make a formal ID. They drove in
the captain’s car to the hospital and took the elevator down to the
morgue.
Jeremy listened as the captain told him of what happened at Club
Menace and of all the dead bodies found in the club below. The club had
been shut down while further investigations took place. Jeremy didn’t
say anything, just nodded his head. He already knew all that had taken
place at Club Menace. He had been there, after all.
The medical examiner explained that his sister had died from a
gunshot wound to the chest and head. Jeremy had been surprised that
nothing showed up indicating that his sister was no longer human, but he
had noticed the night he had shot and killed her that her fangs shrunk back
to normal, and he had to assume that a vampire’s anatomy was similar to
a human’s.
Before he left, he made a call to the funeral home that had buried his
parents. The arrangements were made, and he’d finally be able to put his
sister to rest.
When he got back home he found Lawson in his room lying on the
bed.
“Did everything go okay?” Lawson asked.
Jeremy kicked off his shoes and climbed up on the bed to snuggle
next to his mate. It still felt weird for him to refer to Lawson as that, but
that’s what they were to one another, a life partner to the end of time.
“As well as expected.” He wrapped his arms around Lawson and
pulled the man into his side. “I made the arrangements for Addison’s
funeral. We get to bury her on Wednesday.”
“That’s good.” Lawson rolled over. “Can I come with you?”
Jeremy smiled down at his mate. “Of course. I couldn’t do it without
you.” He kissed Lawson on the lips.
“I wouldn’t want you to.” Lawson traced a lazy pattern back and
forth on Jeremy’s chest. “So how are you doing, really?”
He thought he had been hiding his pain fairly well, but he assumed he
couldn’t hide much from the man he loved. “It hurts,” he admitted. “I
keep seeing flashes of her when she was a little girl up until she was
taken. She had been so full of life. I still can’t believe that thing in the
alley was my sister.” His throat grew tight.
“It wasn’t.” Lawson tilted his head up and Jeremy looked into his
mate’s golden eyes. “She had been turned by a dark warrior, and once
they became mated she didn’t have a choice in the matter. The sister you
knew was gone.”
He understood that, but it still hurt. In that dark moment when faced
with the monster she had become and seeing her getting ready to rip
Lawson’s throat out, he did the only thing he could and he’d do it again.
The Addison he knew wouldn’t have wanted to live like that. She had
been a kindhearted, loving person who had dreams of getting married
and having children. She often teased Jeremy that they’d live next door to
one another and grow old together. But all that had been stolen from her.
Michael might have been her mate, but it was dark love. Nothing good or
pure would ever have come from that. Only death and destruction.
“So any word on when your friends are coming to collect Cason’s
body? It doesn’t feel right just keeping him stored in the basement.” The
previous night they had brought Cason’s body back with them and put
him in the basement. Elias wrapped him in a sheet, and he stayed down
there with him the rest of the night and so far he hadn’t come up stairs.
Lawson had placed a call to Ben, the leader of the Warriors of the Light,
and he had some men coming to collect the body.
“Ben and his mate Miles are flying in sometime today. They had to
get the plane fueled up then they were leaving Missouri. Miles is a
nervous wreck.”
Miles and Trevor were cousins and when Lawson explained that
Trevor had been shot, Jeremy could hear the man go into hysterics over
the line. Trevor was the only blood relative Miles had in his life, so
Jeremy could relate. Before he knew what happened to his sister he
would have moved heaven and earth to get to her. But Miles was lucky.
Trevor would recover from his injury unlike Addison. The path her life
took went in a different direction. One Jeremy couldn’t save her from.
Jeremy lay there silent, lost in his own dismal thoughts. Yes, he had
Lawson, but he still felt lonely not having Addison in his life. For so
long she had meant everything to him, and now she was gone.
“Baby, really are you going to be okay?” Lawson asked, lifting his
head up from Jeremy’s chest to look into his eyes.
Jeremy ran his fingers over the top of Lawson’s head, letting the
short strands caress against his fingertips. He let out a long sigh then
said, “In time, yes. I still can’t believe she’s gone. The look in her eyes
that night.” He shook his head. “I know it wasn’t her, really, but still I
hate that that’s the last memory I have of my sister.”
Lawson sat up and straddled Jeremy’s hips. “I totally get what you
are saying but, babe, that wasn’t Addison. Yes it looked and talked like
her, but it wasn’t her. That’s what Dark Warriors do. They feed off our
emotions and use them against us. They took an innocent girl and turned
her into that thing you saw last night. Keep your Addison in your heart,
not that monster. It’s not fair to her memory.”
It wasn’t fair to think of that vampire being his sweet and loving
sister. It would take time, but he’d slowly put the vivid memory of
having to put a bullet in her head behind him. No matter the
circumstances, that memory would haunt him for years to come.
“You’re right, Lawson.” He tugged on his mate’s hand until Lawson
lay on top of him, chest to chest. “I don’t want to talk about that
anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very.” His lifted his head and licked his tongue over Lawson’s
juicy lips. “I’d rather make a few new memories with you right here right
now.”
“Oh, Officer Langston.” Lawson giggled, the sound so strange yet
sweet coming from the man. “What did you have in mind?”
Jeremy didn’t bother answering. Catching Lawson off guard, he
rolled them over until he hovered over the man. He dropped his head
forward and smashed his mouth to Lawson’s. His tongue came out to
trail a wet line over Lawson’s lips. The sweet and exotic taste helped
him forget all that had happened and to take his mind off the future still
yet to come.
“Make love to me, Jeremy,” Lawson said in between kisses. “I need
to feel you inside of me.”
Stripping Lawson from his clothes then shedding his own, Jeremy
positioned himself between Lawson’s spread thighs. He shifted to angle
his dick to rub at the sensitive skin just under Lawson’s balls, smearing
the pre-cum leaking from the head of his cock.
Jeremy braced his arms on either side of Lawson’s body and kissed
a path down Lawson’s jaw to his right nipple, teasing the small little
nub. Lawson fisted his hands in Jeremy’s hair, pushing his head lower,
moaning loudly while his body thrashed around on the bed.
Smiling to himself, Jeremy made his way further down Lawson’s
body. He licked down the center of his mate’s well-defined pecs all the
way down to his navel then grazed his tongue through the little treasure
trail of hair leading o his impressive cock.
He tongued the swollen head but never took the full length in his
mouth. Lawson groaned and thrust his hips up off the bed, but Jeremy
refused to suck the thick flesh into his mouth. He had other plans for his
lips and tongue.
Jeremy laid kisses along the veiny shaft until he reached Lawson’s
furred balls. He took one then the other into his mouth, rolling them
around with his tongue, sucking on the firm orbs.
Lawson’s legs spread further apart, giving Jeremy better access. The
position was all wrong. He wanted to open Lawson up, exposing his
tight little hole. Jeremy sat up on his knees and placed his hands under
Lawson’s knees and pushed his legs up toward his chest, slightly raising
the man’s ass in the air.
“Oh, yeah,” Lawson moaned at the new angle his body was put in.
“Hold your legs,” he ordered, and Lawson moved up to hug his legs
to his chest, opening him even more.
Jeremy grabbed Lawson’s ass cheeks and lifted him further in the air.
He licked a line from Lawson’s balls all the way down until he touched
his tongue over the tight, rippled flesh. Lawson gasped and his body
jerked, but Jeremy held solid. He tongued the small opening, only pulling
back to spit on the tiny bud. Jeremy used his tongue to push the saliva up
inside Lawson, sucking and kissing his hole. He could eat Lawson’s ass
for hours, but right now he needed to be one with his lover. To feel
Lawson’s silky walls pull and milk the cum from his balls.
“You ready for me?” Jeremy asked as he inserted two fingers up
inside Lawson’s wet hole.
“Oh, god, yes,” Lawson said breathlessly. “Please, give it to me.”
Jeremy spit into his hand and smeared it on his hard cock. He pulled
his fingers from Lawson and grabbed his dick at the base and guided it to
the hottest hole he had ever fucked.
As the broad tip pushed past Lawson’s resistance they both groaned.
Jeremy slowly moved forward giving Lawson’s body time to adjust to
the invasion.
Finally when his balls rested against Lawson’s ass, he fell forward
to kiss Lawson’s swollen lips. Jeremy pushed his tongue past Lawson’s
lips and kissed him with everything he had while he thrust slowly in and
out of Lawson’s hungry body. They had all the time in the world and
Jeremy was in no mood to rush.
* * * *
Later that night Lawson’s friends Miles and Ben showed up. Miles
rushed to the room they had put Trevor in and stayed by his cousin’s
side. Ben and a couple other men came in and after a quick greeting
headed for the basement. They collected Cason’s body to take back with
them to give him a proper burial.
Jeremy hadn’t known the man very well, but he still felt terrible over
his death. Cason had risk his life to save others, and ultimately it was
saving Elias life that cost him his.
Elias looked to be in a state of shock as he followed the others up the
stairs. But when Ben suggested he go back to Missouri to their compound
he refused. Elias wanted to continue the search for Sayer, saying that’s
what Cason would have wanted. Jeremy couldn’t help but think the man
needed the distraction of the mission as to not be alone with his thoughts.
Jeremy couldn’t fault him that.
The next few days went by in a flash. After the warriors left with
Cason’s body, everyone took up shifts keeping watch over Trevor. The
vampire had yet to regain consciousness, and the more time that passed
the more on edge everyone became. Ben said that a silver bullet to the
brain, even with Jeremy’s quick removal of the fragments, was still a
wound that would take time to heal.
Wednesday morning rolled around all too soon. Jeremy had gotten
dressed and walked out hand in hand with Lawson to see that Lawson’s
friends, except for Miles who stayed to keep watch over Trevor, waited
for them. They, too, wanted to pay their respects to his deceased sister
and to be there for him. Jeremy could only nod his head, overcome with
emotion.
A light breeze swept over the cemetery, and the sun shined brightly
above them. The day had been beautiful, the kind of day that Addison
would have loved, blue skies with white fluffy clouds that looked like
big chunks of cotton. Jeremy could remember lying on the soft green
grass staring up at the sky with Addison when they were younger, making
images out of the clouds. It was a time long since passed but never
forgotten.
The minister said a few words then gave Jeremy and his friends
some time alone to be with Addison. He stood at her grave site just
glaring down at the casket. She had been too young to be taken from this
world.
“Baby, do you want to say anything?” Lawson asked. “It might help.”
Jeremy took in the sympathetic look on his lover’s face. Tears
burned at his eyes but he did have something to say.
“Addison was a sweet girl who had her whole life ahead of her.” A
tear fell from his eyes, but he didn’t wipe it away. It didn’t make him
weak to show emotion. It made him human. “She was the best sister a
person could ever have. You may be gone, Addison, but never forgotten
or ever far from my thoughts. I love you, little sister.”
With that Jeremy said good-bye. He turned and walked away, unsure
when he’d be back to visit her grave site again.
When they got back to his house, Jeremy and Lawson went to his
room. For the longest time neither said a word. Jeremy spooned Lawson
from behind enjoying the comfort his mate’s body provided.
The silence finally got to Jeremy, and he asked, “So where do you
plan to go to now?” They hadn’t discussed it, but Jeremy knew that they
wouldn’t be staying in Clearview for too much longer. The fight against
evil never stopped, and they still had a friend out there to find.
Lawson sat up, turned to cross his legs, and faced Jeremy. “For now
we will be here in Clearview. We’re trying to gather as much evidence
from Club Menace as we can. It might be our only lead to finding Sayer.”
“And after that?” Jeremy didn’t want to come off sounding needy but
he wanted to know that whatever Lawson had planned next, Jeremy was
part of that equation.
“Jeremy, I need you to understand something.” Lawson placed the
palm of his hand on Jeremy’s cheek, angling his face to look at him.
“Wherever I go, you will be with me. We are mates and that’s a forever
bond as you well know, so there’s no going back to living a solitary life.
Make no mistake about it. We will never be parted from one another.
You’re mine and I’m yours.” Lawson shrugged. “Besides, with those
new legs of yours you can’t stay here. People would grow very
suspicious of you.”
He smiled and pulled Lawson down to lie on top of him. “That’s
what I thought, but I like hearing you say it.” He covered Lawson’s lips
with his own and kissed him deeply.
“Hey, some reassurance never hurt anyone,” Lawson said with a pout
of his lips. “Like, I could use some right about now.”
Jeremy tickled Lawson’s sides until the man rolled over, and Jeremy
followed to lie on top of him. “Lawson, I love you more than you will
ever know, and I don’t think that will ever change.” He pressed a soft
kiss to Lawson’s swollen lips. “You gave me back my life.” He grinned.
“I guess you could say you are my life.”
Lawson gave him a thoughtful look, a grin pulling at his upper lip. “I
can live with knowing that.”
“Why, you little shit!” Jeremy sat up and pinned Lawson’s arms over
his head with one hand and tickled him mercilessly with the other. “After
I spill my heart out like that, that’s all you have to say?” he teased.
“Stop!” Lawson shouted in between fits of giggling and squirming to
get away. “I love you, baby.”
Jeremy let go of Lawson’s hands and lowered his body over his
mate’s. As they kissed he couldn’t help but smile. Over the past year he
had experienced so much pain and loss. Now the heavens opened up and
shined down on him, granting him his own happiness. He didn’t know
what life had in store for him, but as long as he had Lawson he could
cope with anything. Love not only healed his body but his heart. He’d
spend the rest of his long life loving the man in his arms.
THE END
WWW.AJJARRETT29.BLOGSPOT.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and four
children. A lover of M/M romances, she has started writing her own
stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be antagonistic
toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever after. She
believes love can be found in the craziest of places, and a little humor
along the way never hurt. To her, there’s nothing sexier than two men
finding their soul mate in each other and falling in love. When she isn’t
chasing around her kids, she can be found sitting on the couch with her
trusted laptop, giving life to the voices in her head.
For all titles by AJ Jarrett, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/aj-jarrett
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Document Outline
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- About the Author
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