His to Protect (10 page)

"Why were you wandering around the
house on Fourth Street?"

The kid actually looked frightened now. He
opened his mouth to speak several times before words actually came out. "A
g–guy I know online, vamphunter459, was freaking out. He said they were real,
that his quest proved that vampires really existed." He shrugged, but the
movement was far from casual. "There was nothing there, so I just figured
he was bat-shit crazy. Some gamers get so involved they start to mix up fantasy
and reality, you know."

"Unfortunately for you," Adrian
said as thick dark hair sprouted all over his arms and his fingers turned into
wicked-looking claws, "you're about to learn that not all fantasy is
computer gaming."

The kid squeezed his eyes shut. "Please
don't hurt me," he begged quietly.

Adrian stopped the change and returned to
his full human form.

"We're not going to hurt you, Chester,"
Lilly said, taking a little bit of pity on the kid. It was obvious that he'd
been misled by whoever was running the computer game. "But you are going
to stay here and watch the agony you caused. If Rebecca doesn't bleed out she'll
still be in awful pain. There isn't a painkiller on the planet that will work
for a vampire."

"R–Rebecca?" the kid asked as he
paled considerably. He stared at the woman's face in horror. "Rebecca
Ridgley?"

Lilly nodded.

"Fuck, I…she looked familiar. I just
thought it was good artwork." He didn't try to stop the tears that slid
down his face. "I went to high school with her. She was real smart, on the
debating team and everything." He didn't take his eyes off the vampire's
face. "She…she died from…I think it was cancer."

"Well it would seem that Rebecca found
a way around that," Lilly said gently. "Let's hope you didn't rob her
of her second chance at life."

"Fuck," the kid said on a heavy
exhale.

"Chester, I need to get a look at that
online game. Can you give me access?"

Cheater nodded but didn't look at Lilly. He
kept shaking his head and blinking as if he thought he might soon wake up. It
didn't take long then for the sobs to start.

Adrian ran a hand down his face tiredly as
he turned toward the exit.

At least they had some idea of what was
happening. Unfortunately there was also a good chance that the attackers were
victims of this situation as well. Once Chester had realized that the vampire
he'd attacked was an actual person and not a stage prop, he'd crumbled into a
remorse-filled heap.

Adrian was almost to his car when his phone
rang. When he saw the sheriff's number he wasn't quite certain he wanted to
answer.

"Sheriff," he said as his sense of
duty overrode self-preservation. After witnessing their prime suspect's
emotional meltdown he really hoped the sheriff was calling with good news.

"Adrian, I've got a suicide I'd like
your opinion on."

"Sure," Adrian said quickly. Part
of the reason Alateeka Protection Services got along well with the law in this
town was because they offered their unique skills to assist the sheriff
whenever they could. Obviously the sheriff felt something wasn't quite right with
the scene currently listed as a suicide. He quickly gave Adrian the address.

Within minutes Adrian was striding into the
small, but well-appointed house following the scent of the man who'd killed William
Danker, mortally injured Logan, and attacked Derek in the alleyway beside
Santutegia.

The sheriff tilted his head toward the back
room and then quickly followed Adrian into the crime scene. Adrian tried not to
look at the devastated couple—most likely the kid's parents—as he walked past
and then tried very, very hard to claw back his professional distance.

The moment he stepped into the room, he knew
the sheriff's instincts had been right on the money. This wasn't a suicide
scene. It was a murder.

He grabbed his phone, quickly scrolled to
his sister's number, and waited impatiently for her to answer.

"Lilly, take Chester into protective
custody, and try to get his help to identify the others. William
Danker's
murderer has just been found dead."

The sheriff shook his head. "I was
hoping I was wrong."

"So was I," Adrian said
truthfully. It meant that the men they'd been seeking were probably all in
danger. Not only did they have to find them fast, they now had to protect them
as well. Right from the beginning he'd worried that these humans would never be
brought to justice, but he'd never expected them to be victims, too.

How the hell did things get so fucked up so
fast?

Chapter Eleven

It was nearly dark when Adrian finally came
in the front door. It was probably silly to worry about the man—he was an experienced
investigator and a werewolf, for heaven's sakes—but Tyler couldn't deny the
relief he felt when he saw him.

Tyler was out of his seat, ready to throw
himself into Adrian's arms before he even considered whether it was something
Adrian might want him to do. He was only his sub. That's all they'd agreed on.
Did subs greet their Dom at the door so enthusiastically? Tyler hesitated in
the doorway from the living area long enough for Adrian to notice. He gave him
a grim smile and opened his arms, and Tyler ran into them faster than he
previously thought he was capable of.

Then Adrian held him close for a very long
time as they stood quietly in the small foyer.

"Rough day?"
Gavin asked when he apparently got tired of waiting for Adrian to
come further into the house.

"We found William's killer. Somebody
murdered the guy before we got there and tried to make it look like suicide."

"I'm assuming you have evidence,"
Gavin said in a very serious voice. For a man who'd spent most of the past day
and night cracking jokes it was interesting to see him switch to "work
mode."

"Yeah, I picked up the scent of a
vampire in his room. The kid—"

"Kid?"
Tyler asked anxiously. He'd been teaching in this town for more
than five years. Chances were if he'd gone to the local high school he'd taught
him at one stage.

"
Lenard
Baldan
was twenty-two," Adrian said, pulling Tyler
just that little bit closer, "so not really a kid, but some of the others
are as young as seventeen."

Tyler was both relieved and a little worried
that he didn't remember anyone by that name. Surely if he'd taught him in high
school his name would at least spark a memory or two.

"Others?"
Gavin asked curiously as he led them back into the living area.

"Lilly is still scouring the Internet
but we think we've identified and moved to protect most of the ones involved,
including a couple who had yet to go on their 'quest.'"

"Now I know you're going to explain
that," Gavin said with a frown.

"Sorry," Adrian said, "it's
been a couple of long days." Tyler was tired, yet by his calculations
Adrian hadn't even gotten the small amount of sleep he'd managed.

"You want to talk long days,"
Gavin said with a smart-ass grin, "try staying home to babysit that
complaining asshole."

Tyler turned to find Derek standing in the
doorway of the medical room. It was obvious that the doorjamb was the only
thing holding him up, but he still managed to flip a finger in the air at his
brother even as he winked at Tyler in apology.

"What was the connection?" Derek
asked in a voice that belied his physical condition.

 
"A
computer game," Adrian replied, apparently accepting that his brother wasn't
going to go back to bed anytime soon. He released Tyler only long enough to
help his brother to the nearest couch. Derek was white as a sheet and sweating
by the time he got into a comfortable position, but it was clear he was
stubborn enough to try to ignore it.

His brothers apparently knew Derek's
stubbornness well, because they made an effort to ignore his pain and go on
with business.

By the time Adrian was finished explaining
the events of the day, Tyler was feeling rather ill himself.

"It certainly seems a deliberate move
by whoever set up the game to cover their tracks. That kid was ranting pretty
wildly when he attacked me. It would definitely be seen as a threat to the
entire operation." Derek shook his head slowly. "But we can't dismiss
the idea of a revenge attack either. Vampires might not have many advantages
over humans, but even brand new ones can compel a weak-minded individual. I doubt
many would be strong enough to force a human into suicide, but they could
certainly nudge a confused and frightened person into doing something they
might have been inclined to do anyway."

"Do you think maybe that's why the guy
came to the club and attacked Derek?" Tyler asked as possibilities swirled
through his head.

Gavin and Adrian looked shocked but both
nodded. "I suppose it's very likely. According to Chester,
Lenard
had been freaking out over the vampire being real
and had sent private messages to the contacts he knew outside the game."

"What if one of those
contacts was the person behind all this?"
Tyler asked. From Adrian's explanation there had been no way of identifying
people in the game. Only Chester and his circle of friends had known each other
from other games they played together.

Adrian suddenly reached for his phone and
then waited anxiously for his call to be answered. He was pacing the floor by
the time his sister picked up.

~*~

Adrian practically growled the words into
the phone. "Lilly, one of the kids you have in protective custody could be
the one behind the computer program."

"Way ahead of you, big brother," Lilly
said with her usual casual laugh. "Brody smelled the vampire the moment we
knocked on the door."

"Where are you?" Adrian asked as
he reached for his keys.

"Relax Adrian, everything's under
control. The vampire is in custody. The website creator is still on the run,
but as soon as I've finished wasting time talking to you, I plan to change
that."

Adrian glanced at the window, surprised to
see that the sun had already gone down. He turned toward the hallway where
Logan stood waiting timidly at his bedroom door. Gavin grinned, and waved him
over to where he was sitting, but Logan gave him a furious look and went to sit
beside Tyler instead.

Gavin reached for his keys, brushed a kiss
to Logan's lips even though the vampire still looked angry enough to smack him,
and headed toward the front door.

"Your turn to babysit," he said
tilting his head toward Derek, who gave him the finger once more. "Tell
Lilly I'll meet her and Brody at the office."

"Perfect," Lilly said obviously
having heard Gavin's words. "Looks like you get the night off, big
brother. Go get some rest."

Adrian wasn't quite used to being relegated
to the sidelines of an investigation, but one look at the gorgeous human
sitting on his sofa and he couldn't say he hated the forced exclusion from
work.

"Okay, call me if you need anything."

"Will do," Lilly said cheerfully
before the phone line went dead.

He wanted to lift Tyler into his arms and
race down the hallway to his bedroom, but right now he had a stubborn-ass
brother to put back to bed and a newly made vampire that needed time with his
friend.

"Have you had dinner?" he asked
Tyler. He and Derek both nodded.

"There's a tossed salad in the fridge,"
Tyler said as he stood up and headed toward the kitchen. "I just need to
throw your steak under the grill. Gavin said you like it well done, but I
figured that was another one of his jokes."

Adrian grinned at Tyler's perceptiveness.
Since becoming a werewolf he enjoyed his steak quite rare. "I can do it,"
he said reaching for the man as he went to go past him.

"I don't mind," Tyler said
quickly, but then he seemed to double guess his offer to help. "Unless
you…um…would rather do it yourself."

"No, I'm happy to let you cook for me,"
Adrian said with a wide grin. Yeah, he was a bit old fashioned that way. So sue
him. "But I thought maybe you can make sure Logan is fed while I make my
own dinner."

Tyler glanced at his friend who was smiling
wider than Adrian had ever seen from the guy. It was the type of shit-eating
grin Gavin usually wore when he knew something Adrian didn't.

"I…um," Tyler said as he glanced
at his friend hesitantly. "Um…after last night, I'd…um…prefer it if you
were…um…not busy after
I
…" He let the words trail
away, obviously embarrassed by what he was asking.

Logan wasn't quite so polite. "Tyler
needs you to fuck his brains out after he feeds his friend the vampire. You
okay with that, Adrian?"

Tyler seemed shocked by his friend's words.
It was obvious that Logan was still going through the hormonal changes of
becoming a vampire. From the little Adrian knew, Logan would never have said
something so outrageous before being changed.

Derek laughed. "You're so lucky Gavin
isn't here right now, little vampire. He'd turn your ass the same shade of red
as Tyler's face."

Logan laughed too, but it was the surly kind
of laugh one would get from a teenager well out of their depth but trying to
brazen their way through an uncomfortable situation.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Adrian
asked in a low voice as Tyler shook his head and tried not to react to Logan's
teasing.

"I'm fine," he said finally
turning a wry smile in his friend's direction. "I've heard way worse from
the teenagers at the high school." Logan dropped his gaze, apparently
reading the gentle rebuke from Tyler correctly. "But Logan does have a
point."

Adrian grinned. There was no way he was
going to turn Tyler down. Hell, his cock was growing hard just thinking about
sinking into Tyler's warm, willing body.

"Food
first," Tyler said in a slightly bossy tone.

Derek laughed softly, but quickly stopped
when it apparently hurt.

"Fine,"
Adrian said in an indulgent tone. "You cook while I have a quick shower,
and then well see about getting Logan fed."

Tyler's
smile was so sweet that Adrian couldn't do anything but lean down and take a
taste of those lips. As always the heat between them grew quickly, and they
were both panting when they moved apart.

"Hot
damn," Derek said with another pain-filled laugh. "How much did I
miss while I was sleeping?"

Tyler
blushed and then fled into the kitchen. Adrian shook his head at his brother,
but didn't bother to rebuke him for embarrassing his sub. Derek was simply
being himself. He hadn't changed in their long lifetimes, so it wasn't going to
happen now.

And besides,
Tyler was adorable when he blushed.

That thought
carried Adrian through the fastest shower on record and back into the kitchen
minutes later to wolf down a steak that had been cooked to perfection.

Now that the
time had come to feed Logan, Tyler actually seemed pretty nervous.

"Everything okay?"
Adrian asked in a whisper. It was probably
unnecessary to keep his voice low since Derek and Logan both had
better-than-human hearing, but it did give them the illusion of privacy.

"I
just…" Tyler lowered his gaze. "All I can think about is how much I
want you inside me, even without the rapturous feeling I get when Logan bites
me."

Adrian was
very tempted to suggest a few of the kinky ideas that flowed through his head
at that moment—he might not share his lover, but he wasn't against
exhibitionism—but he was fairly certain Tyler wouldn't be comfortable doing
that sort of thing in front of his best friend.

The next
best idea, however, also came to mind.

Adrian
reached for Tyler's hand and practically dragged him into the hallway. As soon
as they were in the privacy of his bedroom, Adrian urged his sub to bend over
and brace himself with his hands on the foot locker. He quickly undid Tyler's
jeans and lowered them and his underwear to his knees.

Adrian stood
back to admire the beautiful view for a moment before moving to the drawer
where he kept his toys. He rummaged through until he found the brand new butt
plug he'd put in there only a few days ago.

Quickly
unwrapping the packaging, he moved into the connecting bathroom, washed the
plug thoroughly, and then reached for the lube. By the time he stepped back
into the bedroom Tyler was quivering and the scent of his arousal filled the
air, but he hadn't moved from the rather uncomfortable position Adrian had left
him in.

"Perfect,"
Adrian whispered as he ran his hands all over Tyler's ass and thighs. Fuck, he
was tempted to spank him again just so the man wore his marks, but they didn't
have time.

Tyler jolted
away from the cold lube when Adrian pressed the plug against his anus, but he
quickly settled when Adrian wrapped his hand around him and held the man still.
Moving carefully, Adrian worked the rather large plug into Tyler's tight little
hole. Adrian's own cock protested the entire time, leaking pre-cum onto his
skin and throbbing painfully inside the confines of his previously loose jeans,
but the end result was definitely worth it.

As soon as Adrian had the plug in place, he
pressed a quick kiss to Tyler's taut butt cheek, and then pulled the man's
clothes back up. Tyler's eyes were glazed with passion when Adrian helped him
back into a standing position and then turned him around.