Feral (Wicked Nights At Lair Book 1)

21. Hale

Holding Yannis in my arms while he sleeps must be what paradise is like. His soft breaths and warm body are better than any blanket. He’s been asleep for hours, which he likely needed after all the excitement and the potion Viv gave him. He’s still visibly bruised, but as long as he’s healing on the inside, I’m happy.

He’s taken everything I’ve told him so well that it only further proves to me that he’s my mate. And the sex. Fucking hell. He’s perfect for me. For the first time in a very long time, I can finally rest. The loneliness is gone and my bed is warm. No more of the relentless searching that led me to force Nathan into my vision. No more misplaced dreams. I’ve found the one.

His phone buzzes on the nightstand, but he barely moves so I grab it and answer.

“Hello?”

“Uh, hi. I’m looking for Yannis. Who’s this?”

“Who’s this?”

“His brother.”

Shit. “I’m just a friend. I’ll get him for you.”

I put the phone on mute and shake Yannis. He mumbles and tries to pull the blanket over his head.

“Wake up, darling. It’s your brother on the phone.”

Yannis peels his eyes open. “Dimi?”

“He’s on the phone.”

“What time is it?”

“Three.”

That wakes him up. He sits up, taking the phone from me.

“Dimi?”

I focus my senses to hear the conversation.

“I’m in trouble, Yann, and I’m really scared right now.”

“Where are you?”

“Your apartment. I keep knocking but you’re not answering.”

“Shit, Dimi.” Yannis is already climbing out of bed. “I’ll come get you.”

“I think someone is stalking me.”

“What?” He grabs his sweats off the floor. “Right now?”

“Yeah. This black car keeps driving by and slowing down, and no one else is out here.”

“Get away from the street and stay by my door. We’ll be there. Don’t go anywhere and don’t talk to anyone.”

“Okay.”

“I’m on my way.”

I’m out of bed in a flash and dressing as Yannis ends the call.

“He’s at my apartment.”

“I heard. Let’s go.”

I lead Yannis downstairs to the garage, taking one of the sedans since it’s easier to handle. Yannis is a bundle of nerves and stress right now.

“He’ll be okay. We’ll be there quickly.”

He nods, squeezing my hand.

“What would you like to tell him about me?”

Yannis wrinkles his brow for a second, then shakes his head. “I’ll tell him everything once he’s safe. Well, not everything. I’ll leave the vampire part out for now.”

“Hold on.”

I hit the gas and fly through the streets of New Onyx. At this time of night, there’s minimal traffic and any cop who tries to pull me over will quickly forget his mission. We make it to Yannis’s apartment building in record time, and he’s out of the car and up the stairs before I even pull into a parking space.

After shutting the car off, I follow him. He’s in front of his apartment door, talking to a much younger man who doesn’t look a thing like him. Dimi’s eyes shift past his brother to me and he smiles. That’s when I see the resemblance.

“Hi,” he says.

“Hello. Are you alright?”

He nods. “Yeah. Just a little freaked out.”

“What are you doing here at this time of night?” Yannis asks. “This is not a safe neighborhood. Why didn’t you call me and tell me you were coming? I could’ve picked you up. Why are you even here?”

“Hold on, yo. Give me a second to answer you.”

“Why don’t we do this in the car?” I say.

“Good idea,” Yannis says, grabbing his brother’s arm.

The three of us walk down the stairs, pausing as the car Dimi described appears again. I sprint towards it, but it takes off, its squealing tires shattering the silence.

When I turn around, Dimi’s mouth is hanging open, but Yannis only looks concerned.

“Who do you think that is?” Yannis asks.

“No idea, but I worry it’s related to the earlier incident.” I open the car’s back door for Dimi. “Could be nothing though. A coincidence.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Yannis mutters.

“It was already here when I showed up,” Dimi says, sliding into the car. “Parked down the street. I saw it when I walked past and then it started following me.”

“Honestly, it could be anything,” Yannis says. “There’s a lot of shit that happens around here.”

“Very true.” I pull onto the street. “You’re safe now.”

I glance at Dimi through the rearview mirror. He’s staring at Yannis. “What happened to your face?”

“Fight. Like I said, a lot of shit happens around here,” Yannis says.

“Is that why we’re going somewhere else?”

“Yep.” Yannis twists around in his seat. “I’ll fill you in later, but I’m staying with Hale right now.”

Dimi raises an eyebrow and I fight back a smile. He’s not an idiot. It’s the middle of the night and his brother is with another man.

We arrive back at my place and I pull Yannis aside as we head to the elevator.

“I’ll leave you alone to talk to your brother. I’ll be in the common area if you need me.”

“No. Stay with us.”

“Are you sure?”

He nods, smiling. “I’m sure.”

Once inside, we head to my apartment. The common area is silent, a departure from when I first arrived at the House of Orpheus. It was always full before, but now that they’re all mated off, they spend a lot of their time in their units. I felt their absence for so long, but no more.

“This place is nice as fuck,” Dimi says, glancing around my foyer.

“Under furnished,” I say. “But I’m inspired to work on it.”

Yannis smiles at me before turning to his brother. “Are you hungry or thirsty?”

He shakes his head. “Nah. I’m okay.”

“Let’s sit in the living room.”

Yannis and Dimi sit on my sofa while I take the armchair across from them.

“You can start by telling me why you’re in New Onyx in the middle of the night without telling me you were coming,” Yannis says, his voice taking on a surprisingly authoritarian tone.

Dimi scratches his head, dragging his fingers through dark, wavy hair. He’s the complete opposite of his brother—brown hair, dark brown eyes, olive skin. He has a similar build though, tall and muscular but a little leaner than Yannis. He’s got a baby face too, one of those people who will likely never look their age. He’s wearing a t-shirt, shorts that come to his knees, and white sneakers on his feet.

“I majorly fucked up, Yann.”

“What do you mean?”

“I dropped out.”

“Dude. Are you serious?”

He nods. “I called home and Dad lost his shit. He canceled my debit card and told me I couldn’t come home.”

Yannis’s cheeks turn bright red with anger. “What?”

“Cut me off completely. He told me he wasn’t wasting another dime on me.” Dimi’s eyes fill with tears, but he sets his jaw, angrily wiping them away. “He wouldn’t even let me explain what happened.”

“What did happen? You didn’t tell me you were struggling.”

Dimi looks down at his hands. “I tried really hard, but I don’t think I picked the right major. The math classes were way over my head. I even had a tutor, but I just didn’t get it.” He looks up at his brother. “I got my third semester grades and I was too far behind at that point. Changing majors put me behind too, so I just dropped it all before they could put me on academic suspension.”

“What was your plan?”

“I thought I could stay with Lawrence.” He looks at me. “The guy I was seeing.”

I nod.

“I’d been spending a lot of time with him and it seemed like things were getting serious, but when I told him what Dad did, he told me…” Dimi shakes his head, picking at a thread on his shorts. “I feel so stupid. I wasn’t his only guy. He admitted that he’s actually married and the condo we hung out at is a rental for his hookups.”

“Aw, Dimi.” Yannis rubs his shoulder.

“I know you warned me about these older guys, but he seemed so different. He never acted shady or hid his phone. I thought he was legit.”

“I’m sorry.”

Dimi shrugs. “I had twenty-four hours to get out of my room on campus and I didn’t know where to go. I went to the bus station and the next thing I knew I was buying a ticket to New Onyx. I knew you wouldn’t turn me away.”

“Of course not. I just wish I’d known. We could’ve picked you up.”

Dimi glances at me again. “Sorry. I didn’t know what else to do and calling you seemed dumb because then you would have worried until I got here.”

“True.” He wraps his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “I’m glad you came.”

“Can I stay with you for a while?” Dimi asks.

Yannis looks at me, so I jump in.

“You’re welcome to stay here, Dimi. We have lots of guest suites at our disposal.”

“Thanks. Do you live here now, Yann?”

“I, well, I suppose?—”

“He does.” Both men look at me, and Yannis’s face lights up. “As you’ve seen, the area where Yannis’s apartment is leaves a little something to be desired, so I suggested he stay here. We work together.”

“Oh,” Dimi says. “Where do you work?”

“A nightclub.” He brushes Dimi’s hair from his forehead. “You must be exhausted.”

On cue, Dimi yawns then laughs. “I guess so.”

“I have an extra room in my unit. He can settle in there for now until I get the guest unit freshened up.”

“Don’t make a big deal over me,” Dimi says. “I can sleep on the floor.”

“That won’t be necessary. Come on.”

The three of us walk down the hall opposite my bedroom. All Dimi has is a small gym bag with him, and as he enters the room and looks around, he looks small.

“Wow.”

“Yeah,” Yannis says, squeezing his brother’s shoulders from behind. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk more when you wake up.”

Dimi turns around and throws his arms around Yannis. “Thank you.”

“Don’t be dumb. I’m your brother. I’ll always take care of you.”

Dimi’s eyes settle on me. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

“Of course.”

I want to tell him that he’s my family too, but that might be a bit much. We leave Dimi and walk back to my bedroom together.

“I’ll tell him in the morning,” Yannis says. “You’re not just my boss and my friend.” He pauses in the hallway, turning to face me. “You’re my future.”

I press a kiss to his lips, lingering for several seconds. “Go back to bed.”

He tilts his head. “And where are you going?”

“Out. I want to know what that car was up to.”

“It’s probably just troublemakers.”

“Maybe, but it might be related to the Bianchis. I need to know.”

He nods, running his hand down my chest. “I’d tell you to be careful, but I don’t think that’s necessary.”

I smile. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Minutes later, I’m out the door and tearing through the streets on foot. I’m positive the car was stalking Yannis intentionally, and the idea of someone hurting him fills me with rage. Now I have his little brother to protect too, so there’s no way I’m just gonna sit back and see what happens.

The more I think about finding Yannis the way I did, the angrier I get. Bloodlust rips through me, pushing my monster to find the threat and eliminate it. I scale a building, visually stalking the streets below until I spot my prey. He looks ideal, standing on a corner talking to some young boys. A trafficker? Probably, but at this point, he could be an altar boy and I wouldn’t give a fuck.

I leap down to the street right behind him, making almost no sound, and since he’s distracted, he doesn’t even notice my approach. That is until my presence casts a shadow on the sidewalk and the kids look behind him to see me.

The man swings around, pulling out a gun from his jacket. The two kids he was talking to take off running, leaving us alone, but angering the man.

“Hello.” I tilt my head as my beast vibrates through me. I feel the shift in my eyes as they glow and my vision sharpens. My gums ache as my fangs drop to their full length, and there’s a strange purr deep inside my chest.

“What the fuck, dude?” The man’s scent is riddled with fear. “I got no beef with you, man. I’m just doing business.”

I have no idea what beef means, but I’ll take from the context that he means he doesn’t want a problem. Too bad for him that I very much want one. I could ask him what he’s doing specifically, but I don’t have to as he panics and empties his pockets of cash, drugs, and additional weapons.

“Take it,” he says, backing away even though the building stops him. “You can have it.”

“I don’t want it,” I say, listening to the rapid pulse of the blood in his veins. My eyelids flutter at the scent of terror pouring off of him. “Who do you work for?”

“No one. I’m independent.”

Glaring, I reach out and grab his neck and send a wave of compulsion through him. “Tell me the truth.”

His eyes go cloudy and he sways in my grip. “I report to Johnny Maffeo.”

“Who is that?”

Now he looks shocked. “You don’t know?”

“Answer the fucking question.”

“Johnny ‘Bricks’ Maffeo. He’s the head of the Maffeo crime family.”

“Maffeo. Is it related to the Bianchi family?”

The man nods. “Ricco went out on his own to grow the business. Johnny approved it. I worked under Ricco, but he was killed last night by some dudes. Johnny’s pissed off.”

Fuck. I knew it. I fucking knew it.

“What kind of business does he do?”

“The usual shit. Drugs, sex.”

I exhale slowly, feeling anger and fear for my mate spread through me. “Does Johnny know who killed Ricco?”

The man shrugs. “I don’t fucking know, man. I’m just a soldier. We’re supposed to keep a look out for the guys, but I can’t remember what they look like.”

“What were you doing with those boys you were talking to?”

A smug smile spreads across his lips. “Recruiting. We need more bodies for our overseas operation.”

Trafficking. “How many of you are there in the city?”

“Soldiers?” He shrugs. “Hundreds, probably.”

“Where does Johnny hang out?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I heard he was coming here though, because of what happened to Ricco. That was his cousin.” The man looks around like he’s worried about being heard. “Johnny is violent as fuck, man. He’s killed people for looking at him wrong.”

“Well I’ve got a message for you to give your boss. Tell him he’s not welcome here and every single one of you we find, we’ll make you bleed.”

His brow creases as I push the compulsion away.

“Starting with you.”

I release him, waiting for him to run, which is exactly what he does.

I pounce, launching myself at him and gripping his shoulders as I sink my teeth into his neck.

The man screams, pushing and kicking as he struggles to get away. No chance. I drink just enough to keep him on the edge of life, and when his screams die down, I drop his weakened body to the ground, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

I take his phone from his shirt pocket, searching the contacts for anyone who looks like the man I want to reach. Not surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to have the big boss’s number in his phone, but he has one labeled, ‘Tony Guns’ so I press the button to call.

“Yeah,” the man answers gruffly.

“One of your soldiers is lying in a pool of his own blood on the corner of Twelfth and Gamble.”

“Who the fuck is this?”

“And he has a message for you and Johnny. I suggest you come get him before he bleeds out.”

“I said who the fuck?—”

I end the call before he can finish his sentence, choosing to scale the building and wait to see who shows up.

Several street kids walk by the bleeding man, glancing at him and then hurrying away. He’s alive. I can hear his shallow breathing from where I sit. At least he won’t be snagging any kids off the streets tonight.

About ten minutes later, a black car pulls up, stopping in the middle of the street. The passenger door opens, and a tall, beefy man steps out, a gun in his hand. He looks around before walking over to the man on the sidewalk.

He nudges him with his foot and the man moans. “He’s alive,” the guy calls out.

Another man steps out of the car from the back seat. He’s short and has a slight build, but he’s got a holster strapped to his chest with a shiny silver gun in it. From here I spot the intricate tattoo on his forearm, a gun with the name Tony scrolled above it.

“What happened to you, Matty?”

“He said…” The man coughs. “Not welcome here. Gonna attack us all. Tell Johnny.”

“Who was it? What was his name?”

“No…name.”

“Shit, Matty,” the other guy says. “Your neck’s all ripped up. How did he do this to you?”

Matty barely opens his eyes. “Teeth.”

Tony pulls his head back. “He bit you?”

Matty grabs his arm. “Mon-mon…” He coughs again, spitting up blood.

“What is it, Matty?”

“Mon-ster.”

“Monster?” Tony says, glancing at the other man. “Let’s get him up. We need to tell Johnny about this.”

The two men scoop their bloody friend off the sidewalk and carry him to the car. Once they drive off, I leap to the sidewalk and start my walk home, but I see the two kids he was talking to earlier.

“Hey.”

They both look panicked and ready to run.

“I won’t hurt you.”

The taller one holds on to his friend. “What’s up?”

“That guy you were talking to was planning to traffick you. Spread the word to your friends to keep a lookout. They aren’t just looking for a quick meet up.”

“How do you know?” he asks, jutting his chin out in defiance.

I point to my shirt, covered in blood. “We had a chat and he told me his plans.”

The kid nods, backing up just slightly. “Yeah, okay. We’ll be smart.”

“If it sounds too good, it is. Remember that.”

“Thanks.”

I nod, walking away slowly until I’m out of sight, then running through the night to get back to Yannis. I have to update Yves too. We may have a Mafia war on our hands.